Infinite
by Seriously Sam
Summary: Chapter 24! He was the sly, rambunctious troublemaker. She was the smart, fiery redhead. Their choices were either black or white and not a shade of gray. Their devotion couldn't be swayed, their bravery always prevailed, and there was no halfway in love.
1. Walking with a Wolf

Title- Infinite

Summary- He was the sly, rambunctious troublemaker. She was the smart, fiery redhead. Together they paved the path for destiny, for the destruction of the darkest of Dark Lords. History deemed them unworthy of great importance. The ground beneath their feet was forgotten to all. They were merely a memory. They were the parents of the Wizarding World's savor.

Rating- PG-13

Disclaimer- The characters that you recognize are not mine.

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." _The Perks of Being a Wallflower,_ Stephen Chbosky.

Chapter Summary –

"Who does Sirius like? Did he say?" Rhia jumped off her bed and practically ran to dive on Lily's bed.

"Yes, he did," Lily lied. "Apparently, Sirius got a girl pregnant, twice actually."

"Sirius is… Sirius has children?"

"Yep, there's going to be a shotgun wedding."

"Shotgun wedding?" Rhia looked confused.

"He's going to have to marry the girl at wand point."

Chapter 1 – Walking with a Wolf

_Have you ever just wanted to kill your own flesh and blood? Not in a mean or sadistic way, but in an "I hate you, you are so annoying" way? I have, repeatedly. Why is it that out of all the siblings I could have had in the world I was stuck with nosy Petunia Evans? The giraffe-cow hybrid. Yes, there is such a thing. You see, she's nosy so she needs a long neck to pry – hence the giraffe. Then the cow part, well, she's just a cow. No explanation needed. It's not my fault that I'm the pretty, talented, most fantas-_

"Lillian! Get down your little behind down here now!" Rose Evans shouted for her daughter. "You are going to miss the train!"

_tic, and sweetest person in the whole wide world. Okay, so I'm really not that conceited, but you tend to start to praise yourself when you have an older sister who only likes to bring you down. Positive attitude and all that. I hate her… okay, so maybe **hate** is a strong, overused word. Maybe I have a very strong dislike for her. I wish my parents could see how treacherous and horrid she really is._

"Lillian Evans, if you're not in that car in five minutes then you aren't going to Hogwarts!"

_Sometimes… parents are a drag._

"_Yes_, _mother,_" Lily Evans closed her journal – not a diary – and stuffed it into her purse.

The redhead then opened her bedroom door to see her redheaded mother standing outside with her arms crossed over her chest. Lily stood up on her tiptoes and planted a wet kiss on her mother's rosy cheek. The redhead then skipped down the stairs and went outside to see her father loading her trunk into the back of the '74 Camaro.

Her father, Henry, looked more like her horse of a sister Petunia, but in a handsome kind of way. He had floppy brown hair that showed his receding hairline. He had the same dark eyes as her sister as well as the tall, skinny, giraffe-like figure. He, unlike Petunia, was pleasant to talk to. He always knew how to crack a joke, but he wore horrendous clothing. He liked those repulsive, argyle sweaters, vests, and everything else imaginable.

"Hey, Bright Eyes, you can sit in the back with Petty," Mr. Evans waved a hand towards his youngest child as he inspected the back of his prized car for scratches.

"Ha ha, Daddy, that was funny," Lily rolled her head back in fake laughter, "I thought you actually said to get in the back of this car here."

"Get in the car, Lillian," Mrs. Evans opened the front door to the Camaro and hauled her small frame into the car.

"I promise she won't bite," Henry walked in front of his daughter.

"How do you know she isn't a vampire? Or even a werewolf for that matter?" Lily spoke with a slight whine in her mouth.

"Considering your sister-"

"Distant relative you mean," the redhead interrupted with a smile playing on her lips.

"Petunia-"

"You mean It?" Lily supplied condescendingly.

"Lillian," Henry cocked his head to the side.

"Father," the fifteen-year-old redhead mimicked her parent.

"Get in the car."

Lily sighed dramatically before walking over to her father's car, opening the door, and slowly – ever so slowly – slid into the back seat next to her fuming sister. The witch, who could never pass up the chance to royally annoy her bigsister, leaned over towards the brunette as the car pulled out of the driveway.

"Ickle bickle bockle boo-"

"MOTHER!" Petunia shouted. "Freak here is doing magic on me!"

"Lillian!" Rose turned around and glared at her daughter. "Petunia! You two stop it right now! Lily, stop tormenting your sister, and Petunia, stop calling your sister names."

Petunia glared at her sister before turning to stare at the scenery that passed by her. Lily, on the other hand, crossed her arms over her chest and silently congratulated herself for a job well done. The redhead turned her attention to her purse only to pull out a paperback book entitled "Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie. She pulled out her flower-covered bookmark and began to read.

It seemed as though they arrived at King's Cross extremely quickly, which was both a blessing and a curse. One, she got to get away from her sister. Two, she didn't get to finish her book. Her father parked the car and went in search for a trolley while Rose, Petunia, and Lily walked towards Platform 9 ¾. A couple minutes later, Henry appeared with Lily's trunk in a trolley.

"Bye, Sweetheart," Rose kissed her daughter on the forehead as she embraced the younger redhead.

Lily pulled back and turned towards her father, her favorite parent. The fifteen-year-old launched herself at the man, hugging him with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She stayed in her father's arms for a while, watching as the people passed. It was Henry who pulled away first. He patted his daughter on the top of her curly red head.

"Be good, Bright Eyes," he spoke softly. "Make me proud."

"As long as you make me proud," Lily smiled brightly.

Lily turned towards her sister and nodded her head in the seventeen-year-old's direction. Petunia, however, didn't even take notice of her sister's somewhat kind gesture. Lily just rolled her eyes as she grabbed her trolley. She bid one last farewell to her parents before closed her eyes and ran through the wall onto the platform.

Lily felt a slight shimmer go through her body when she crossed the magical barrier. Her eyelids flew opened and her emerald eyes sparkled as they landed on the scarlet engine. A smile, once again, lit up her pale face as she looked around expectantly. The redhead pushed her trolley towards the train when her eyes caught someone over to the left of her.

She snapped her head towards the direction of the familiar boy. There he was the boy whom girls practically drooled over. His black hair fell elegantly into his pale eyes. His clothes hung loosely on his thin frame. His demeanor was always haughty and bored, except for right now. It was as if the boy deemed everyone inferior to him. It was Sirius Black's attitude that made Lily despise the boy.

With Sirius Black was a younger version of him, only that boy was slightly paler and had a longer nose. The boy, who was most likely Sirius's brother, looked around the age of thirteen. Next to the two boys were most likely their parents. The man looked exactly like Sirius except for the expression on his face. Sirius's father had a look of disgust as he watched several of the students pass by. Sirius's mother had eyes that were narrowed, and a sadistic smile was twisted upon her features. Her mouth was twitching slightly as her hand rested on Sirius's shoulder.

Lily couldn't help but feel curiosity surging through her whole body. She had never seen Sirius Black looking so helpless and sad before. The redhead strolled up towards Sirius, not knowing exactly why she cared why the boy, whom she had always hated, looked so sad.

"Mudbloods and Muggles all over the platform and out," Mrs. Black's voice was one of complete disgust. "Vermin if you ask me."

"Vermin is an understatement," Mr. Black spoke swiftly.

"I want nothing but the best of you Sirius, do you understand me?" Mrs. Black turned towards her son and dug her fingernails into the boy's pale cheeks. "It's bad enough that I have a piece of shit for a son, but I will not tolerate any more of your outbursts."

"I'm sorry if I don't meet your standard of approval," Sirius's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Don't be smart with me, Boy," Mrs. Black growled. "I don't know why I put up with you. You're not even good enough to get the Prefect position!"

"What do you want me to say if you don't want me to apologize for things that weren't even my faul-"

"Don't take that tone with me," the woman hissed under her breath. "You are incredibly frustrating and irritating to look at let along talk to."

Lily felt the urge to save Sirius. She pushed her trolley closer and yelled out Sirius's name. Mrs. Black jumped back in surprise, releasing her son in the process. The handsome teenager turned around to see the redhead not far away from him. He rubbed his face gingerly where there were the crescent marks from his mother's fingernails.

"Evans?" Sirius questioned, a shocked look on his face.

"Sirius Black, why haven't you owled me all summer?" Lily pulled the sweetest look on her face that she could muster. "I was ever so lonely. I was hoping, oh wishing that you would owl me."

Sirius looked at Lily like he'd never seen anything like her. Before he knew it, Lily had linked her arm with his and was dragging him towards her. The redhead had politely introduced herself to the Blacks as she complimented their son. Mr. and Mrs. Black looked at the girl with narrow eyes, knowing she wasn't a pureblood based on her last name.

"So funny this boy is right here," Lily smiled brightly as she pulled Sirius back with her. "Quite handsome too. Nice meeting you!"

Sirius, with a dumbfounded look on his face, walked towards the train with Lily. He helped the redhead load her heavy trunk onto the train all the while never sharing a word. The whistle blew loudly warning the students to get on the engine before it pulled away. The two fifteen-year-old Gryffindors just got on the train as it started to leave the station.

"Uhh… why did you pretend to be my friend and pull me away from my family?" Sirius spat out the word family as if it were the foulest thing ever.

"You looked like you were getting pretty beaten down," Lily responded. "I know I hate it when I get belittled, so I thought I'd save you the grief."

"Why do you care if I get yelled at?" Sirius questioned her with his eyes flaring. "Since when has perfect Lily Evans ever helped someone out that she thought was an arrogant prick?"

"I'm sorry if I tried to help you, your highness," Lily shouted. "Next time I'll let your mother dig her fingernails so deep into your cheeks that you bleed for days!"

True to her redheaded personality, Lily stomped her foot hard into the ground and stormed off to the prefect compartment for her first prefect meeting. She didn't even want to be a stupid prefect. Lily knew that she wasn't the smartest girl in her year in Gryffindor. She didn't study, she knew practically nothing about Potions and Herbology, and she could care less if students were out of bed past curfew.

She strolled into the prefect compartment to see the Head Boy, Frank Longbottom, and Head Girl, Paris Van Arden, sitting at a table with fifth, sixth, and seventh year prefects. Lily scanned the small group of people hoping to find something that she knew and liked.

"And you are?" Paris Van Arden thought that she was just the smartest and greatest person on the face of the earth, but Lily thought she was hideous and dumb.

Paris was in Ravenclaw. She didn't fit the regular Ravenclaw standards like the other Ravenclaws Lily knew. Paris was a ditzy big-breasted idiot. She had dark brown hair that was dyed blonde. Her skin was so tan that she looked like toast. She wore horribly too much make-up, and she reminded Lily of a prostitute.

"Lily Evans, fifth year Gryffindor prefect," Lily pulled on a tight smile. "Would you like to know anything else? Perhaps my linage or how I look so fantastic?"

Frank Longbottom smiled softly as Lily and motioned her to sit down next to him. Lily had only met Frank briefly before. She knew that he was the Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The redhead also knows that Frank had befriended James Potter and Sirius Black since they were all on the same Quidditch team. Frank seemed like a nice bloke who was excellent in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Some say that the only student in the whole school that could come close to beating him in a duel was James Potter.

Lily took the seat next to Frank when her eyes caught a small, sickly looking boy. His sandy hair was lying limply on top of his unnaturally pale face. His amber eyes glistened with tears and there was an expression of pure anguish on his face. His hands were holding the side of his chest, and Lily thought she saw something red between his fingers. Remus Lupin saw the fellow prefect staring at his hands and immediately tried to cover up as much of his side as he could.

Lily looked at the other people in the room and noted the fifth year prefects. Severus Snape, a hooked nose boy who always seemed to have long, greasy hair. His hair was always in his menacing face. He had a stare that would scare little children. Next to him was Bellatrix Black. She was really pretty in Lily's eyes. Bellatrix had long flowing black hair. She had the same pale eyes as Sirius Black, whom Lily supposed was her cousin? She had an exotic beauty that the redhead would never be able to achieve.

The witch's gaze wandered over to the Ravenclaw section in search for other fifth year prefects. Guinevere Haswell was a fellow redhead. She was an incredible nice girl and amazingly smart. Lily always knew that Guinevere would get the prefect position. Lily was a nice acquaintance of Guinevere's. Lily would be willing to bet that Guinevere would be Head Girl when they enter their seventh year. Brent Paddock was a handsome boy who played beater for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Lily would be lying if she said she never had a crush on the chocolate-colored haired and blue-eyed boy. He too was pure Ravenclaw, smart beyond recognition.

Lily's eyes wandered again to find the Hufflepuffs. She found them soon enough for they were all wearing bright yellow. The redhead blinked her eyes a times to focus them on the group of people. It took her awhile to figure out who were the fifth years, for she never really had classes with Hufflepuff. The male prefect was Oxford Stover who was a very shy boy. His name was only known since Lily had remembered his name on the letter she got over the summer. He had short chestnut hair and warm brown eyes. If anything, the redhead would call him a wallflower. Skylar Devereux was the female Hufflepuff prefect. She played Seeker for her house Quidditch team; she wasn't very good. Then again, Lily could barely ride a broom, and she was criticizing a girl who had the guts to play on a team of all males. Skylar was a tomboy with her blonde hair always pulled back into a messy ponytail, but yet she could be elegant when she wanted.

"Any complaints?" Franks looked around the room.

Lily shook her head and watched as the prefects seemed to have agreed with whatever just happened. Had she really tuned out the Head Boy's speech for that long? Lily caught Remus's eyes and raised her eyebrows in the air as if to tell him to say something. The pallid boy looked puzzled for several seconds before it seemed to dawn on him what Lily was trying to say. The Gryffindor straightened himself up as he winced in pain.

"Ex-excuse me?" Remus asked timidly.

"Yes?" Paris asked in an annoyed tone.

"The- the patrol that Lily and I are supposed to have on- on September 20th?" Remus inquired. "Can that be changed?"

"Oh!" Lily laughed quietly. "That's it."

"Excuse me?" Paris whipped her dyed head towards laughing girl.

"You're excused," Lily responded as a couple of the prefects chuckled.

"Do you think you're cute or something?" Paris asked as she twirled a piece of her stiff hair between her fingers.

"Oh, no, I _know_ I'm cute," Lily placed her chin in her left hand and twirled a piece of auburn hair between her long fingers.

That got several smiles from the prefects; even the Head Boy and Remus Lupin seemed to enjoy the display. Nobody particularly liked Paris, but no one would actually mock the girl to her face. That was what set Lily apart from everyone else. She wasn't afraid to be bold, but she would never do anything to purposely hurt anyone. She was a clean joker.

"What date do you want to change the patrol, Remus?" Frank asked the sickly boy with a smile playing on his face.

"Lily can pick," Remus offered the girl a smile.

"I don't care, Frankie," Lily spoke in a singsong tone. "Gimme a good date, and I'll be happy."

"How about the twenty-first? Is that okay, Remus?" Frank asked as he wrote down the new date.

"Sure."

By the time the trained reached Hogwarts, Lily had a nice stack of papers. There were timetables for the patrols for the first semester of school. There were two other dates that Remus saw fit in changing. Did he even consider his partner? No, he didn't. It was very nice of him indeed. Since Remus felt bad about changing three dates, he volunteered to patrol tonight. It was the first day back at Hogwarts, and Lily was stuck patrolling. The redhead disliked the timid boy for volunteering her services.

Lily stepped off the scarlet engine, turned towards Remus Lupin, and thanked him for offering her night away to look for first years who were most likely to explore. Her voice was thick with sarcasm and fake cheer. The male prefect blushed profusely and apologized, saying that he would patrol on his own. Lily, however, cut him off with a wave of the hand and simply said, "Next time talk to me first."

The redhead stood outside of the train watching for her friends to come off. Soon enough, Lily saw a tan girl with black hair walking off the train. Behind her was a girl with curly chestnut hair. Small frames were perched on her nose as she held several books in her arms.

"Rhiannon Cromwell is a git!" Lily said in a singsong tone.

"Lily Evans is a bigheaded prat!" the dark haired girl that had just come off the train rushed towards Lily and enveloped her into a hug.

"All summer I was stuck in my house with the 'Evil Flower', and you didn't even write!" Lily pulled away from the girl and turned towards the brunette.

"I was in Sweden for a holiday," the girl replied.

"Hey, Lily," the brunette and the redhead hugged.

"Why hello, Miss August," Lily parted the hug to look at her friend. "You barely wrote."

"We went on vacation to Germany to spend time with my grandparents," August Diefendorf replied with a small smile. "Sorry."

"I'm bored," the tall, tan girl spoke in a slightly arrogant tone.

"Rhia, please calm down," Lily smirked as she linked her arm with her best friend.

"I'm hungry-"

"You only think of your stomach," August interrupted.

The three girls laughed. With arms linked, the friends stepped into a horseless carriage and rode along to the magnificent castle. Small talk was exchanged as the girls talked about their summers. Lily had the least to talk about, for she was stuck at home her whole holiday. She listened rapidly to her friend's tales of the far away lands she had never been too. Okay, so maybe they weren't so far away, but a girl can pretend can't she?

The finally reached the castle looking the same as ever. The comrades jumped out of the carriage and stared up at the stone palace. The redhead sighed contently; she was home. The nostalgic feeling the redhead had felt all summer was slowly slipping away. The statues, the secret passage ways, and the Hogsmeade visits were all greatly missed. The being late for class, the Quidditch matches, and the sleepless nights in the dormitories were highly appreciated. This was truly home.

The girls walked into the fortress and were suddenly greeted by the welcoming aura of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The ghosts were about, flying in every direction. The students talked excitedly as they made their way into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was beautifully decorated with banners of the four houses along with streamers the four colors of Hogwarts.

Lily took a seat at the Gryffindor table, which was covered in scarlet and gold. The dishes and silverware were placed neatly on the scarlet tablecloth. The napkins were held together but a gold band with a small Gryffindor lion embossed on them. The goblets, with their ancient carvings, were screaming to be filled. Everything was perfect, and nothing could change the magical meal that the students and faculty were about to share together.

It was then that a messy-hair boy caught Lily's attention. Her emerald eyes wandered from the flawless table setting to James Potter. He still had the same thick, black glasses that hid his hazel eyes. His black hair was still a monstrosity. The boy strolled to Gryffindor table as if he were the muggle king of England. The genuine smile was spread across his lips as always. James sat down next to his best friend, Sirius Black. You would never see the two without each other. It was as if they were joined at the hip.

"Earth to Lily," Rhia waved a hand in front of her friend. "Psst, Miss Evans, table sixteen is now available."

"What?" Lily turned towards her best friend with a look of puzzlement on her face. "What are you going on about?"

"I was simply trying to pull your attention off of the scrumptious James Potter," Rhia flipped her black hair behind her shoulder.

"Argh, Potter? That arrogant prick?" Lily had a look of pure disgust on her face. "Why in the name of all that is holy would I be looking at him?"

"Because he's funny, smart, cute, and not to mention head-over-heels for you."

"The day I got out with James Potter is the day that Professor Truax actually starts doing his job and stops tormenting the students.'

Professor Truax was the Potions Master at Hogwarts. He was the head of Slytherin House, and he had very biased ideas. He was one of those people who you loved to hate. Only the Slytherins seemed to get along with him, which was saying something. There were rumors traveling around the school that Professor Truax was involved in a dark cult with a wizard that many were starting to fear. Some called him You-Know-Who, but Lily was completely baffled as to whom he was exactly. Being a Muggleborn, she never really knew what exactly was going on in the Wizarding World.

"Maybe he had a tormenting childhood?" August lifted her nose from the thick book she was reading.

"Maybe hejust really wants to be a she," Lily supplied, "and is embarrassed to admit it."

"A he/she?" Rhia questioned as August snorted.

"You know, he was born a he but wanted to be a she, so he dressed up in his sister's clothing and all the other kids poked fun at him and…?" Lily trailed off. "I'll stop now."

"What are you even talking about?"

Rhia came from a long line of pureblooded witches and wizards. She basically knew nothing of the muggle world, and that was one of the reasons that she had been taking Muggle Studies since she was thirteen. August was a half-blood, her mother was a witch, and her father was a muggle. She was raised as a muggle, but knew of the magical world before she arrived at Hogwarts.

"Sometimes I just ramble about stupid things," Lily smiled, "you should know that by now."

"Something you utterly baffle me, Lily Evans," Rhia replied as she glanced down where Sirius Black and James Potter were laughing with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

"It's part of my charm," Lily answered with a sigh. "People just can't get enough of me. They never know what I'll say next."

"That's an understatement," Rhia muttered.

The dark-haired girl reached over across Lily to where August was sitting. She grabbed the book from the bookish girl. August made a sound of protest and reached out to snatch her book back. Rhia was too quick, however, and looked at the front of the book to read the title.

"'Was Fliegst Du'?" Rhia wrinkled her nose, horribly pronouncing the words. "What does that mean?"

"Where are you flying," August spoke calmly as she made another futile attempt to get her book back.

"I'm not flying anywhere," Rhia replied smugly.

"It's German!" the brunette exclaimed. "I'm German, and I read German books!"

"Why would you read a book about flying?" the dark-haired girl questioned.

"It talks about all Wizarding Communities around the Europe," August answered as she buried her nose back into the book.

Rhia and Lily then made small talk, letting August continue with her beloved book. The girls talked about nothing in particular, just nonsensical banter. It wasn't before long that the first years filed into the grand dining hall with Professor McGonagall. Some first years looked to be in awe, but others seemed slightly nervous.

The Transfiguration professor went up towards a stool and the Sorting Hat. The raggedy hat sang a particularly boring song as usual, one that Lily didn't even pay attention to. She pulled out a list seemingly from nowhere and started calling the names of the first years who were to be sorted. The professor strict voice called out the first name, "Ayres, Calandra." A very short, pale girl stepped up to the Sorting Hat looking as though she'd go down like a ton of bricks any second.

"Look at my brother, the idiot," Rhia sighed as Calandra was sorted into Ravenclaw.

"He looks really different."

Lily's eyes landed on the tan boy with a mop of curly black hair. He had the same blue eyes as his older sister, not to mention the tall and thin frame. He had a smug smile on his face, as if he was half plotting something.

"Cromwell, Jonathan," McGonagall called out the next first year.

"Bet you anything Johnny will do something for attention," Rhia watched as her eleven-year-old brother walk up towards the stool very slowly and dramatically.

"I bet he starts screaming when the hat touches his head and screams, 'It's eating me! I'm being eaten!'" Lily smiled widely as the hat touched his head.

The dark haired girl laughed as she watched her brother under the Sorting Hat. It seemed to take forever before the hat had exclaimed, "Gryffindor!" Lily and Rhia stood up and cheered. Their claps and cheers were the loudest out of everyone. Johnny Cromwell looked at his sister and her best friend in disbelief. He blushed furiously and made a motion as to give a very rude gesture to them but thought better of it.

The list of students seemed to go on forever. Maybe it was the fact that nobody was playing attention to the sorting that it seemed longer then usual. Lily and Rhia had resorted to playing tic-tac-toe on a napkin. Lily had already won six games with her mad skills and Rhia had won only two.

"I don't understand how you always get three in a row," Rhia sighed as Lily grinned widely.

"If I told you my secrets," Lily spoke as she lazily drew a small flower in the top right corner of the new tic-tac-toe board, "then I would have to kill you."

"August told me to always go for the middle first," Rhia drew a large star with several smaller stars around it in the middle of the board, "but you go for the corners."

"That, my friend, is called strategy," Lily drew another flower in the bottom left corner.

"Whatever," Rhia sighed as a clicking sound filled the dining hall.

"Welcome! Welcome back to Hogwarts! Welcome to the first years!" the headmaster smiled warmly at the student body.

Albus Dumbledore was the loveable, eccentric headmaster of Hogwarts. He was ever so old; but in the right light, you could see the redness of his hair show through. He had a terribly long, white beard that flowed to his stomach. He had sparkly blue eyes that were hidden behind haywire eyebrows and moon-shaped glasses. The bright smile, that was almost always on his face made him look a good fifty years younger. There was an ageless kindness about him. His juvenile personality was always well received.

"I have a few notices before we tuck into your delicious food," Professor Dumbledore held out his arms as he if were half expecting someone to run up and give him a hug. "I must remind you that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Mr. Filch has also asked me to inform you that he has made a list over the summer of all things that are prohibited in the school."

The headmaster looked over towards James Potter and Sirius Black with a huge smile dancing on his face. It was a genuine smile that reached his eyes and every other part of his body. The old man adverted his eyes from the two best friends and looked at the rest of the student body.

"You can view the list on the door of Mr. Filch's office. I'm sure he would be more then thrilled to talk it over with any of you if you have a comment or question," Professor Dumbledore sighed contently. "Let's dig in, shall we?"

There were several motions of agreement as the aging man clapped his hands together, making mountains of food appear out of nowhere. The chatter in the room was in full force. Hands were reaching out from every direction to grab the delicious food that the students had missed all summer.

It wasn't long before the food had disappeared into the stomachs of the students and staff. It was then when the prefects had to show the first years to their dormitories. Lily was less then thrilled about this. When she was done then she had to patrol with shy, quite Remus Lupin. The boy never seemed to talk to anyone except those blasted friends of his.

Lily and Remus walked the first years to Gryffindor Tower as Rhia, Sirius, and James pretended that they too were first years. James seemed to be following them as if he were a little kid afraid to move too far away from his parents. It was annoying. Since James went along, Sirius was sure to follow. He couldn't go anywhere without James Potter at his side – pathetic really – it was as if Sirius was a lost dog without his master. Then Rhia, the girl was obsessed with Sirius Black. She was one of the many. It was double pathetic in her case.

"Now listen to me," Lily turned around to face the first years as they approached the Fat Lady, "I don't want to be a prefect, but I am. I don't want to patrol tonight, but I have to. You probably want to explore, but you can't. If I see any of you out of bounds on my patrol night, I'll give you two months detentions. Understood? Spread it around to the other houses."

The first years looked oddly at each other, slightly afraid of the redhead. Rhia looked at her best friend with a huge smile on her face. The three Marauders looked at her with a mixture of shock and admiration.

"Heart's parade," Lily told the Fat Lady as the portrait flung open. "Get inside and stay inside. Come on, Lupin."

Remus jumped slightly and looked at his friends for help. The redhead swore she heard Sirius Black tell the prefect to be carefully around Lily and that Lily might bite. The female prefect didn't care, however, she just wanted to get this over with.

It was weird walking through the deserted castle. It was extremely boring as well. Did Remus Lupin ever talk? Personally, Lily wanted to bang her head on every wall in Hogwarts. The time seemed to be passing at an excruciatingly slow rate. If you could die from boredom, Lily would have been long gone by now.

"Are you incapable of talking?" Lily finally broke the silence thirty-five minutes and twenty-five seconds later.

"What?" he speaks!

"We've been walking around – on a patrol you volunteered me for – and you haven't said one single sodding word!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm bored. I need entertainment."

"I'm sorry," the sandy-haired boy blushed furiously. "I'm not really one for conversations."

"Nah," Lily's voice was thick with sarcasm, "I would have never guessed."

The boy didn't respond, and the two lapsed into complete silence yet again. The redhead kept telling herself the patrol was only two hours long. Two hours long… that was a long time in complete silence. Ten minutes and forty-five seconds passed until Lily spoke yet again.

"Can't we at least talk to make the time pass quicker?" Lily's voice whined.

"Talk about what?" Remus inquired with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude or anything like that, but we're partners. We are going to be working together until we graduate, unless you become Head Boy," Lily stopped and faced the fellow teenager. "We need to become friends and talk so this isn't something I dread every week! I don't want that. You're a really nice guy, so pretend I'm James Potter or Sirius Black or even that Peter Pettigrew."

Lily looked the boy with a pleading look in her eyes. The boy bit his lip as he contemplated what to do. This hesitation made Lily feel horrible. Was she really that bad to talk to? What was wrong with her? Why wouldn't he just say that he would try or something like that? Was Petunia right? Was she just a freak?

"Right, sorry then," Lily turned away and started down the hallway. "I didn't know I was that bad."

"No! No!" Remus said frantically. "It's not that! You're not- you're not bad! I mean it's just complicated."

"Right," Lily opened a classroom door and looked for anyone out of bounds.

"No, I mean, okay," Remus walked in front of her. "I'm Remus Lupin, I'm fifteen, and I live in with my parents outside of Dover. I'm an only child."

"I'm Lily Evans, I'm also fifteen, and I live with my parents as well, but I live in Windsor. Unfortunately, I have a sister whom I would just love to flog."

Remus turned towards the redhead with a slightly alarmed face. He watched as Lily broke into a wide smile and struck a little pose. The boy couldn't help but smile as a soft – very soft – chuckle escaped his lips. Yes, Lily had done it. She had broken the ice. She had paved the way to a lasting friendship.

The rest of the patrol went by quickly as the two got to know each other. They learned about each other's favorite classes and teachers. They learned about each other's summers and friends. It was magnificent. By the time the patrol was over, Lily was slightly disappointed. The two made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Remember last year when there was a rumor going around the whole school that someone had found McGonagall and Dumbledore snogging in an abandoned classroom?" Lily asked as Remus said the password. "Do you know who did it?"

"Yeah… well…" Remus let out a nervous laugh. "That was kind of James and Sirius who started it.

"You're joking, aren't you?"

"I wish I was," Remus pulled a tight smile on his face.

"Were you part of it?" the boy looked extremely guilty. "Perfect, innocent, smart, little Remy Lupin helped spread a rumor that made McGonagall take off fifty points from each house and canceled a Hogsmeade weekend?"

"It wasn't my idea," Remus explained. "I just went along with it."

"That's what they all say," Lily smiled widely. "That's what they all say."

Lily smiled widely as she waved a hand in Remus's direction as if to say goodnight. The girl yawned loudly before prancing up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She opened the door to see Rhia sitting on her bed with her arms crossed over her chest.

"If it isn't Lily Evans, back from the dead."

"If it isn't Rhia Cromwell, back from… hell?" Lily grinned as she went over to her wardrobe to change into her pajamas.

"How was patrol with the ever so bashful Remus?" Rhia seemed to be having too much fun with whatever she was planning.

"Good?" Lily pulled a shirt over her head. "We talked-"

"About your friends?" Rhia shot up in her bed. "Did he say anything about Sirius?"

"Yes, actually he did," Lily half lied.

Sure, they talked about the "marauders" and Lily's friends, but there were no details involved. There were just small things exchanged. There wasn't any life changing information, but Rhia was always the hopeful one.

"Who does Sirius like? Did he say?" Rhia jumped off her bed and practically ran to dive on Lily's bed.

"Yes, he did," Lily lied. "Apparently, Sirius got a girl pregnant, twice actually."

"Sirius is… Sirius has children?"

"Yep, there's going to be a shotgun wedding."

"Shotgun wedding?" Rhia looked confused.

"He's going to have to marry the girl at wand point."

"Oh, who is it?"

Lily shrugged her shoulders and buried herself in the covers. It was a redhead that had started the rumor about a one Sirius Black just to poke fun at her best friend. It was Kelly Watson who had overheard the conversation from her bed in the fifth year dormitory. It was Kelly Watson who told everyone that Sirius had two children. Then it was Sirius who received a howler from his mother about representing the Black family in such a light. It was then Lily Evans who would feel bad about spreading a false rumor and would try to apologize to Sirius. It was a domino effect of sorts.

Author's Notes- I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. It's kinda choppy? I guess? First chapters are always horrible to write. Please leave me a review if you want me to continue. Anyone a quick beta and would like to help me out?


	2. First Day's a Drag

Chapter Summary-

"I don't know what your problem is, Black, but I bet it's really hard to pronounce," Lily's words were laced with sarcasm. "Maybe Madam Pomfrey can help you out. I hear she's really good at pronouncing those kind of words."

"I never thought you could be so… quirky."

"Quirky?" Lily turned to face him. "Who uses words like quirky?"

"Apparently, I do," Sirius replied. "I have a proposition for you."

"Apparently, I don't want to hear it."

Chapter 2 – First Day's a Drag

_I'm really easy to get along with once people learn to worship me. Okay, so, I lied about the last part of that statement, but I am easy to get along with. I proved that last night for Remus Lupin and I got along famously. I knew if I were to befriend a "marauder" then I would befriend Remus. It's just a known fact. Sirius Black is too egocentric. James Potter is a pompous prat. Peter Pettigrew, well, he is just a mousy boy who was terrified of his own shadow._

"Lily!" Rhia called from somewhere in the dormitory. "First day of classes!"

"Fabulous," Lily muttered as her pen scratched on the pages of her journal.

_Joyous, classes. I can't wait until I have Potions and Herbology so I can royally flunk out of school and officially suck at life. I'm afraid that I will get 'Dreadful' on both of those O.W.L.'s. I'm absolutely horrendous at those subjects. Charms is my best subject and all time favorite. Defense Against the Dark Arts is another one I adore enormously. Arithmomancy, Astronomy, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures are tolerable classes. I enjoy them as well._

"Lily!" Rhia called in a singsong voice. "Let's get going!"

_Sometimes best friends can be so aggravating. As if she actually cared about getting to class on time – oh wait. Sirius Black. Yes. Let's go to class early to get good seats so we can watch Black and Potter make jackasses out of themselves. That sounds like a marvelous idea. Why didn't I think of that first? Silly me._

"I'm being serious, Lily, we need to eat and then get to class!" Rhia whined. "We aren't going to have enough time."

_Scary little? Yes, my best friend is super scary. She can't help it. She doesn't like to take the medication the doctor prescribed._

"I'm coming!"

Lily, who had already been dressed an hour ago, slipped her journal under her mattress and emerged from behind her curtains. She saw Rhia standing by the door with her arms crossed over her chest and her book bag draped over her right shoulder. She had a perturbed look on her face. The redhead waved enthusiastically before walking leisurely towards the door.

"Oh! I forgot-"

Before Lily could finished her sentence and walk further back into the room, Rhia had grabbed the pale girl by the wrist and practically dragged her out of the dormitory. The two friends made their way down the long hallways and the changing stairs until they reached the giant dining hall. August was already up and eating at the table with… no, it couldn't be. Remus Lupin? The two were talking and _laughing_ as if they were the oldest of friends. How? Why was it so easy for them?

"Look who I dragged out from behind the dustbins," Rhia greeted August.

"Good to see you hadn't really lapsed into a coma," August joked.

"Har. Har," Lily took a seat next to Remus, since Rhia had already placed herself next to August. "I was actually up before all of you."

"In what wacky dimension?" August asked with a smile playing on her lips.

Lily opened her mouth to retort; but before she could, a hand slipped over her mouth. The redhead twisted to see who was behind her, but the hand kept her from moving too much to see. Therefore, Lily did what she always did. She stuck out her tongue and immediately the hand jerked back. The prefect smiled in accomplishment before turning around to see Sirius Black standing behind her. Her victory smile instantly fell.

"Oh, it's you," Lily turned back to her breakfast.

"Yeah, and you know what?" the dark-haired boy sat down next to the redhead. "I like you. I like you a lot actually. I think you're absolutely fabulous. Really, a side of Lily Evans I've never seen."

"I don't know what your problem is, Black, but I bet it's really hard to pronounce," Lily's words were laced with sarcasm. "Maybe Madam Pomfrey can help you out. I hear she's really good at pronouncing those kind of words."

"I never thought you could be so… quirky."

"Quirky?" Lily turned to face him. "Who uses words like quirky?"

"Apparently, I do," Sirius replied. "I have a proposition for you."

"Apparently, I don't want to hear it."

"I think we should become friends," Sirius picked up a piece of bacon and shoved it into his mouth. "I think it would benefit us both."

"No."

"Think about it," Sirius whined in an awfully annoying way. "We could be the next… Plato and Herman!"

"Excuse me? Who are they?"

"People I just made up on the top of my head to make us sound utterly amazing," the boy had a platinum smile stretched upon his face.

"I've seen you set aside a special time to publicly humiliate yourself," Lily abandoned her breakfast and made her way out of the Great Hall.

It was before long that she noticed Sirius Black walking at her side. Creepy little? She sped up her pace, but the boy only did the same. What did he want from her? A kidney? Lily turned to the left, hoping that Black would somehow not see her so he would keep going straight. No such luck.

"Listen, Black, I'm noticing how you're validating my inherent mistrust of strangers."

"I'm not a stranger, Evans, we've went to this school since we were both wee little first years."

"_Go away_," Lily stressed. " I don't like you. I think you're a horrid person. I try to be nice, but you only try to be mean."

"Now, now, Lily," Sirius pulled a tight smile onto his face. "There's no need to be rude."

"I'm not being rude; you're just being insignificant."

"You do know that half of your comments have nothing to do with the conversation, right?" Sirius leaned up against the wall.

"You're the most infuriating person I've ever talked to!"

"Thanks, but I've already heard that one. Seeing as my mother tells me that all the time," Sirius spoke bitterly.

Lily faltered at this. It was Mrs. Black who had hollered at her son and tried to kill him with extremely sharp fingernails just yesterday… was Lily really being compared to a woman who obviously didn't love her son?

"I need to get to class," Lily sighed.

"What class?" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows in an awfully disturbing way.

"I-" oh crap, she didn't get her timetable, "I don't know exactly."

"I can help you out, seeing as we have the mostly the same classes," Sirius whipped out his timetable from his back pocket. "Potions with the enchanting Professor Truax first thing this delightful morning."

"Kill me now and spare me the humiliation."

"I wouldn't do _that_," Sirius smirked. "I would merely just stab you with a fork, watch you bleed, and then save you."

"You actually sound pretty reasonable," Lily smiled at the boy. "I think it's maybe time to up my medication."

"Argh," Sirius grabbed his heart with a pained expression on his face. "That cut me deep."

Yes, Lily walked to Potions with Sirius Black. Yes, they made small banter all the way there. Yes, Lily enjoyed the boy's company. Yes, Lily could actually see herself being friends with Black. Yes, Lily had actually called him Sirius once while they were walking down the stairs to the dungeons. Yes, Lily thought the boy was absolutely hilarious. No, Lily didn't want into Sirius Black's pants.

The two parted their ways when they reached the Potions classroom. The redhead took her usual seat in the back of the room to the left side. Sirius went over to the back row on the right side to sit next to Peter Pettigrew, who was already in the room. It was about five minutes later that everyone else started filing in the room. Rhia and August sat on either side of Lily.

"You left," Rhia whispered, "with Sirius."

"Yes, I was talking to him," Lily replied as her eyes wandered over towards the 'marauders'.

Maybe they weren't so bad? Lily had always thought Sirius was the instigator of the group, the worst one of them all. If she could feel completely comfortable with Black, then maybe they just tried to portray the imagine of a bad boy? Maybe they were really nice guys who liked long walks on the beach and cute puppies and were really – never mind.

Sirius Black had just hurled a blue spell towards Severus Snape as soon as the greasy-haired prefect entered the room. Snape stumbled as he foamed at the mouth. It looked as though he had rabies or something. He then started jerking from side to side as if he lost all the functions in his body. Everyone was laughing except Remus, August, and Lily.

The redhead stood up and strolled over towards the 'marauders'. She was so livid; she could feel the heat burn her face. Her wand was drawn and clenched at her side. Her right hand flung up, making her wand point directly into the mirthful face of Sirius Black.

"STOP IT!" she shouted.

"Stop what, Lily?" Sirius asked calmly.

"You're hurting him!" Lily nodded her head in the direction of the Slytherin prefect.

"It's all in good fun, my dear," oh, this made Lily flare.

"Expelliarmus!"

Lily had bellowed the spell with such force that it knocked the cocky Sirius Black out of his chair and onto the floor. The spell on Snape immediately stopped, making the boy fall to the ground. The girl population of the class had stopped laughing and gasped. The male portion – excluding the marauders – laughed even harder.

"How dare you?" James Potter raised himself out of his chair and stared at Lily.

"How dare you ask me that question," Lily replied coolly. "I had every right."

"It's okay, James," Sirius stood up and turned towards Lily with a scowl on his face. "Someday, we'll look back on this, laugh nervously, and then change the subject."

"You're a right git, Black," Lily looked at him disgusted before walking back to her seat.

The doors towards the side of the classroom burst opened revealing a tall, thin man strolling into the room. His black hair was clear down to his elbows, but was tied back loosely. His black eyes were piercing and menacing. He wore Slytherin green robes. His movements were commanding but refined. The man held several books under his right arm as he sauntered towards his desk.

"Who can tell me what the Polyjuice Potion is?" Professor Truax's dark eyes scanned the crowd. "Snape, get off of the floor."

Several students raised their hands, mainly all Slytherins. August had raised her hand confidently into the air, however, as she always did in all of her classes. It was as if Professor Truax had simply scanned over August for the briefest moment before calling on the disheveled Severus Snape.

"It's a potion that allows the drinker to take the appearance of anyone they choose for an hour, that is if they have a piece of said person's hair," Snape's voice was laced with detestation with his eyes narrowed. "Though it lasts for only one hour, the drinker can drink more of the potion to essentially keep in the other person's appearance forever, provided that they have enough of the potion in supply and enough of the person's hair."

"Ten points to Slytherin," Truax gave away the points in a lazy, monotonous tone.

Lily, at this point, wanted to doze off but didn't. Instead, she took out a piece of parchment from her bag and simply wrote: _"You want to be each other for a couple hours, partner?"_ Then the redhead slid it over towards Rhia whom immediately read it. Lily watched out of the corner of her eye the huge smile the spread across the dark-haired beauty.

"You will be your partner for one hour in about a month," Professor Truax waved his wand at the blackboard behind him. "These are the ingredients. Get potion making."

"You know, _Lillian_, I've always wanted to drink your hair," Rhia smiled brightly.

"Oh, _Rhiannon_, I've always wanted to drink _all_ of you," Lily smirked.

"Let us put our magical powers to work so that next month we may cause pandemonium."

"Rhia," Lily whined, "you know my powers can only be used for good!"

"Come to the dark side, Lily Evans," Rhia spoke in a mysterious voice, "we have cookies!"

"No! No! Not the cookies! Don't tempt me with such evil entities!"

August had teamed up with fellow fifth year Gryffindor Allyson Calhoun. She was a short, chestnut-haired girl. She had a slight stomach with huge brown eyes. James Potter had, of course, partnered with Sirius Black. Remus Lupin had teamed up with Peter Pettigrew. Slimy Snape – oops, Severus Snape had teamed up with Rodolphus Lestrange. All the partner groups were simply predicable, since they were the same groups every time.

"Okay, so we need some… fluxweed, knotgrass, horn of a bicorn, and skin of a boomslang," Rhia read off the first set of ingredients.

"Well, first, we should start lacewing flies-" Lily was so rudely interrupted at this point.

"We don't need those!" a protesting Rhia exclaimed.

"Second column," Lily replied.

"Oh," Rhia blushed slightly but quickly smiled, "those need to be stewed for twenty-one days."

"Do I look like Kelly Watson over there?" Lily nodded towards the blonde, ditzy Gryffindor talking to an enraged looking Sirius Black.

"Well, the red hair is dead giveaway that you _can't_ be her," Rhia spoke thoughtfully. "If you dye it blonde then you could so be her."

For this, Rhia was smacked in the back of the head with a pale head. The dark-haired girl looked at her best friend with a pained look dancing on her smiling face. It was Rhia who then said, "Your sympathy towards me is so overwhelming." The two girls laughed as they started to stew the flies, which was a disgusting task within itself.

It wasn't before long that the bell rang to indicate class was over. Hurrah! Lily quickly loaded her bag and Rhia's bag as Rhia put away the potion supplies. August, Lily, and Rhia then made their way out of the dreary dungeons and up to the bright side of the castle. It was time for – dun, dun, dun – Charms! It was by far Lily's favorite class. How much joy a simple class brought joy to the redhead's heart.

They reached the classroom to see Professor Flitwick working on something at his desk. He was writing feverishly on a piece of parchment with a somber look on his small face. Lily had never seen the man look so serious in her life, where was the joyful and jolly Professor Flitwick that she knew and loved?

Lily, August, and Rhia took their usual seats in the front of the class. It wasn't before long that the rowdy groups of 'marauders' strolled into the classroom – except, wait. They weren't loud at all. They were whispering to each other. Plotting something? Yes, that had to be it. Hold on, Lily could hear what they were saying so she eavesdropped.

"Who would even say such a thing?" Sirius's tone of voice was laced with anger and tenderness.

"Probably just some jealous girl you turned down," James replied empathetically.

"The whole school believes it, James," Sirius still spoke in hushed tones. "Now everyone probably thinks I'm sex-crazed."

"Who didn't think you were sex-crazed before?" James joked.

"But there are certain _people_ here who can take that literally and tell my _mother_," Sirius suddenly seemed slightly frightened. "Bellatrix and Regulus… they'll tell _her_ that I got two girls pregnant when I didn't!"

Oh no, Lily's stomach sank. Who in the world told people that? Rhia – no Rhia would never let that get out. She fancies Black too much. Rhia would never let anything negative about him leak out. What if someone overheard her joking around? Kelly! Kelly Watson, she was one for gossip. Oh Merlin, she must have been awake. Lily's mind went wild.

"Everyone here?" Professor Flitwick asked without even looking up. "Good. Today we will be learning about the Fidelius Charm. Who can tell me what that is?"

Professor Flitwick folded the parchment he was writing on and held it with his left hand. With his right hand, the short professor ignited that parchment with blue flames. He then turned towards the fifth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws with a smile playing on his face. Guinevere Haswell, the Ravenclaw prefect, raised her hand into the air.

"Miss Haswell?" Professor Flitwick called on her.

"Fidelius – deprived from the Latin form Fidelis which means faithful friends – Charm fundamentally protects a person or object by hiding it from every except for the Secret-Keeper and whom the Secret-Keeper deems fit on trusting."

"Excellent, Miss Haswell, fifteen points to Ravenclaw."

"I'd like to hide Sirius Black," Rhia leaned over and whispered to Lily, "if you know what I mean."

"Too much information, Rhia."

The class seemed to have passed all too quickly for Lily. Before she knew it, the bell had rung. Students were filing out from all directions. It was the mellifluous voice of the Charms professor that made the redheaded prefect falter in her journey to lunch. Lily doubled back towards the professor's desk. Once everyone was out, the professor smiled brightly at Lily.

"Each Head of House is allowed to nominate two students for the prefect position from each house, a boy and girl."

The jolly professor spoke with a sparkle in his eyes. Lily already knew what he was going to tell her. He had nominated her for prefect. Joyous, just when Lily was considering running away with him. Ha, no, Lily was just entertaining herself.

"I voted for you, as did every other Head of House! It seemed as though Professor Dumbledore got a right chuckle out of it," the little man laughed. "There was really no doubt who would be the female Gryffindor prefect."

"Thank-you for suggesting me, Professor, but you really shouldn't have," Lily spoke honestly. "August is so much more smarter then me."

"You were the one who had scored all 'O's' on the final exams, Lily," the professor spoke seriously. "Miss Diefendorf had received all but two 'O's' on her finals. You're very impressive."

"Professor, there's no way I could have done that," Lily sighed. "I mean, I'm absolutely horrendous at Potions and Herbology. I couldn't make a correct potion to save my life!"

"Your test results speak differently, Miss Evans. You have a lot of talent."

"I may have plenty of talent, but quite frankly, Professor, I just don't give a damn."

"That's no attitude to have, Lily," Professor Flitwick sounded both flabbergasted and disappointed.

"Here's how it is, Professor," Lily took a deep sigh, "I'm never going to make a difference in the world. I'm going to go through life and when I die, no one will ever remember I existed. No one will even care that I walked this ground. I'll just be another face and name in the zillions before me."

"Do you have any idea what you are suggesting?"

"Yes, I do, Professor."

"Well, Miss Evans, I have to say that I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you," Professor Flitwick talked with an almost thwarted tone. "I thought you were a girl of such potency and power. A girl who would fight in this emerging war and come out on top. Now I can't help but think you're just an asinine girl who doesn't give a _damn_ about anything. You may leave now, Miss Evans."

Lily felt her chest clench as she walked out of the classroom with tears burning in her eyes. Professor Flitwick hated her. Her favorite professor thought she was nothing but a juvenile who didn't know anything. What she spoke was true, however, in her mind. She wouldn't be remembered when she died. She couldn't do anything spectacular to make herself be remembered.

Lily found herself unable to eat lunch now. Therefore, she did what she usually did when she was upset. She walked around the tall towers of the castle on the balconies to feel the wind nip her face. She raced there as fast as she could. She wrenched open the huge door to the balcony and walked out.

The redhead felt the tears fall down her face. Why was this affecting her so much? Why did she care what people thought of her? She walked towards the stone railing and propped her elbows upon it. She leaned slightly forward and watched some students eat their lunch by the lake. Others were walking around or playing with their friends. Lily felt so alone.

"May I inquire what is wrong?"

Lily jumped slightly as she turned to see the graying headmaster next to her. Where did he come from? It was as if he just appeared out of nowhere. Sometimes that old man could be extremely creepy. His aging face turned towards the youthful girl with a quizzical look on his face.

"I was just chatting with Professor Flitwick," Lily sniffed as she tried to hide her tearstained face.

"Excuse my rudeness, but why do you look ever so upset about it?"

"He told me all the Heads voted for my appointment of prefect," Lily murmured.

"Well, that's nothing to be upset about. I must say I was quite entertained that all of the teachers seem to love you," Professor Dumbledore smiled. "In a case of a tie, I am the one to make the final decision. I have to say that I've had to make the decision in every single case this year except for the female fifth year Gryffindor and the Head Boy position."

"Who was it between in the Gryffindor male category?"

"Off the record, of course, Miss Evans, but it was between Remus Lupin and James Potter. It seemed as though Professor Sprout and Professor Truax elected Mr. Lupin while Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall elected Mr. Potter."

Lily was puzzled at this. Why would anyone in their right mind nominate James Potter as prefect? He was just so… narcissistic and generally bad. Professor McGonagall seemed to loathe the boy, for he was always causing troubles. Why would she of all people vote for him?

"Did you pick Remus so that I wouldn't throw myself off the Astronomy Tower?" Lily asked with a smile on her face.

"Lemon Drop?" the headmaster offered her a candy as she took one. "I must say that I picked Mr. Lupin for the fact that I believe he could exercise some control over Misters Black and Potter."

"Oh, so it wasn't the fact that I would slaughter myself if I had to spend over a minute alone with Potter?" this seemed to have made the headmaster chuckle.

"You are ever so entertaining, Miss Evans."

"I try my best," Lily replied.

"I never want you to believe you never will make a difference, Miss Evans."

Wait, what? How did the headmaster know what was said earlier in the Charms classroom? Does he have little spies or something all over the castle so that he knows everything that happens within the stone walls? On the other hand, maybe he was just a really good guesser?

"What could I do to make a difference?" asked Lily.

"You'd be surprised to find out all the power you behold."

Lily didn't say anything at this. She was actually at a loss for words. Professor Dumbledore seemed to have noticed her hesitation and decided to leave her alone with her thoughts. Why was it that everyone just tries to confuse me, Lily thought.

The redhead started to walk around the veranda, thoughts filling her head. Why was it that two professors thought she was extraordinary? What was it about her? Nothing that she could even begin to comprehend. Yes, that was it? No, that wasn't even an answer.

"You have strength."

Argh, what was this? Sneak up on Lily Evans day and scare the life out of her? Lily turned to see the Divination teacher standing there. She had a long dress on with a thick shawl. The professor didn't look like fortunetellers in the muggle world, but actually like she could be the real thing. She had graying blonde hair that was tied loosely back in a bun.

"Excuse me?" Lily asked.

"You are very powerful, Miss Evans," the professor went on. "You may not realize it, but Professor Dumbledore and I keep a close eye on those in this school to pick out the exceptional ones. The ones that can fight in this coming war."

"What war?" Lily was irritated by now.

"The darkest of Dark Lords is now approaching," the woman explained. "He is emerging to cleanse the Wizarding World so that it fits his image of what he thinks it ought to be like."

"What is his image?"

"To rid the world of all the Muggles and Muggleborns."

Lily's face drew pale at this. There was someone actually out there who wanted to murder a whole bunch of people? Was he the wizard equivalent to Hitler? Just the thought of that made Lily's skin crawl. Then again, didn't Hitler have syphilis? Did this new 'Dark Lord' have a disease that made him mad?

"You will face him, Miss Evans, more then once. You will defy him thrice before the end."

"Ex-excuse me?" Lily backed away. "No, no I won't."

"Miss Evans-"

Lily ran. She ran as fast as she could to get as far away from the Astronomy Tower as possible. She wasn't going to face some maniac! That was for sure. She skipped every other stair on the staircase. She just wanted to get away. It was when she got off the stairway and turned right that she collided with another person.

"Umph!" a male voice made that sound as Lily landed on top of him.

"Sorry!" Lily breathed heavily. "So sorry!"

She touched the boy's chest and hoisted herself up. Lily got a glimpse at the boy she fell on. No, it couldn't be. The prefect nearly fell down on him again, but luckily, she kept herself up. Brent Paddock. Her crush. She fell on the boy she liked, so much for falling head over heels.

"I'm so sorry, Brent," Lily scrambled up.

"S'okay," Brent propped himself up on his elbows. "Lily isn't it? Lily _Evans_?"

He knew her name. Oh joys!

"Yes, that's me," Lily smiled. "The clumsy redhead Lily Evans!"

"Also known as Gryffindor _prefect_ Lily _Evans_," Brent smiled – oh, he had gorgeous teeth.

"You're Brent Paddock, the prefect."

"That I am, but unfortunately I paid my way into the prefect position," the boy joked.

Oh, the boy was funny. He could crack a joke and mock himself. That was wonderful. Lily liked him even more already. He was absolutely scrumptious (in Rhia's words).

"I'll be seeing you, Lily _Evans_," Brent picked himself up from the stone floor.

"Yes, at the next prefect meeting," Lily said as she was now longing for the next prefect meeting.

"Next Monday then or maybe before," Brent smiled as he walked away.

Lily sighed as all of her troubles seemed to slip away. Oh the joys of boys. Yes, most of the time Lily thought all boys were immature and pricks, but Brent wasn't. He was different. He was the ideal boy. Lily thought that she might just be falling in love with him.

It wouldn't be until months later that Lily saw the true side of Brent Paddock. He would be the first boy she ever gave herself to. It wouldn't be until much later that she realized that Professor Dumbledore and the Divination professor were keeping a much closer eye on the students then she thought. It wouldn't be until months later that Lily realized the extent of evil one person could hold. Lily wouldn't think too much about the rising Dark Lord until she came face to face with him. It would be years later that Lily would understand that she was just as powerful as Professors Flitwick and Dumbledore made her out to be that first day of classes. She didn't know it at the time, but there would be a time where she would stop doubting herself all the time and become confident at everything she did. She didn't know it yet, but she would be forgotten when she died just like she thought. She didn't, however, know that she would be a war hero at her death.

Author's Notes- Yay? Good or bad? Review and tell me if you like it or not. If you do, what do you like? If you don't, what do you propose I change? Give me suggestions so that I can make this a story you all like!


	3. Brent Paddock

Chapter Summary-

"I guess James Potter is an angry person, eh?"

"Yeah, angry people just need some hugs… or really sharp objects," Lily replied.

"He's obsessed with you, you know that right?"

"I know, and I wish he wasn't. I don't understand. I'm nothing special-"

"You're beautiful, smart, and witty. You have an exceptional personality. You have a strong will-" it was now Lily's turn to interrupt

"You really do wonders for my ego, pretty soon I'll be the biggest supercilious person known to history."

Chapter 3 – Brent Paddock

Have you ever been so high on bliss that it seemed as though you were on a cloud that would never fall? Oh, if you haven't, then you haven't met Brent Paddock. He makes you feel so exceptional and lovely inside. Just the way that he said he would see me at the next prefect meeting made the rest of my day so enjoyable. He always says that to me now. Ever since September 2nd, every day he would. It's now Saturday morning, the first weekend! Yay to the thousand! I'm meeting Brent today by the lake. He wants to 'hang out' today and get to know each other. My fantasy since third year is finally coming true. Can life get any better? Better yet, nothing can bring me down.

Lily closed her journal with a content smile on her face. She put journal under her pillow and emerged from her bed to see Rhia flipping through a magazine. August was lounging around reading a book. Kelly Watson was doing what Kelly Watson did best, writing long notes about all the gossip in the school. Allyson Calhoun was doing homework. Well, when everyone else doesn't have a life, Lily does! That's a first. Hurrah!

"Where are you going, Red?" Rhia's voice spoke.

"I'm meeting up with Brent." Lily replied lazily.

"Paddock?" Allyson looked up with a dreamy look in her eyes. "He's so cute."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Kelly looked up from her note writing to see if there was new scandal to spread around the school.

"You know what, _Kelly_, maybe you should keep your nose out of everyone's business," Lily forced a smile onto her face. "That was a really nasty rumor you started about Sirius Black having kids, you know."

"You were the one who told _Cromwell_ over there."

"I was joking, _Watson_. Don't you know a joke when you hear one?"

It was so horrible what happened after that rumor started spreading around school. It was two days after the rumor had originated when all hell broke loose in the Great Hall during breakfast:

**"Pass the syrup, _Johnny-Bunny_," Rhia leaned over towards her younger brother.**

**"Get it yourself, _Arsewhip_."**

**"Tsk. Tsk. You know, if mother knew you were using such coarse language, Johnny, she would… well… you know," Rhia smirked widely.**

**Even in a public place, the two siblings were still bickering and calling each other names. It reminded Lily of Petunia and her relationship. They often acted just that way. That was when Lily turned eleven. Beforehand, the two got along famously.**

**"POST!" a second year cried in overexcitement.**

**Hundreds of owls flocked in the Great Hall and went to their masters. They dropped packages and letters. Sirius Black, who was sitting not to far away from the girls, had received a scarlet letter. The boy turned pale and looked panicked. It was then that the letter had exploded and all eyes were on Sirius.**

**"YOU DISGRACEFUL SCOUNDREL!" a shrill female voice shouted. "GETTING TWO GIRLS PREGNANT! HAVE YOU NO SHAME? YOU HAVE RUINED THE BLACK NAME! I DO HOPE THOSE GIRLS ARE FROM RESPECTABLE PUREBLOODED FAMILIES BECAUSE IF THEY AREN'T YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN! YOU IMBECILE! ONE MORE TOE OUT OF LINE AND YOU WILL BE COMING STRAIGHT HOME UNDER LOCK AND KEY!"**

**The letter then ripped itself up and piled itself upon Sirius's breakfast. The boy looked livid. Every student and teacher's eyes were on Sirius Black. Several students started to snicker at the humiliation of one of the most popular boys at Hogwarts.**

**"Sirius, let's go," James Potter stood up and grabbed his best friend's arm and then whispered so that only a few could hear him, "We can skive off class."**

**"I'll get the firewhiskey," Sirius whispered as he stood. "You get the cigs."**

**Sirius then stormed out of the Great Hall and as soon as he left, the whole dining hall burst out in laughter. James looked around disgusted before he too stormed out of the dining hall.**

"It was still your fault, Evans," Kelly spoke in icy tones.

Lily, who felt extremely bad about how everything turned out, walked out of the dormitory and made her way towards the lake. Brent would understand and make her feel better. She knew it. Lily stepped out into the brisk September air and looked around the lake for the scrumptious Ravenclaw. She saw him sitting there all by himself with a book opened on the grass. Lily felt like a little kid, and she impulsively ran towards Brent.

"Brent!" Lily fell down on the grass next to him.

"Hey, Lily," Brent smiled widely.

"I found you," Lily spoke as if she had won a game. "I won!"

"But I wanted to win," the Ravenclaw whined slightly.

"Maybe next time," the redhead smiled.

It was then that Brent leaned forward and kissed Lily tenderly on the lips. She was being kissed! This was her first kiss! Was she doing it right? She didn't know what to do. How far do you open your mouth? How long do you stay like this? Do you –

Before another insecure thought could fill her mind, a yellow spell came hurdling towards them. Brent bit Lily's bottom lip, and she could taste blood in her mouth. The two pulled back just as Brent was hit with a spell that made him fly backwards. Lily looked as he twisted his face in pain. She turned to where the spell was emitted. No, the bastard. James Potter was standing there with his wand out.

"Stop it!" Lily cried as she crawled over towards Brent.

"You don't know what he's capable of!" James shouted as he walked closer to the two prefects.

"Stay away! Stay the hell away!" Lily stood up and drew her wand.

"Lily, I don't want to see you get hurt! He's bad news!"

"No, he's not! You're the one that's bad news!"

"If I'm bad news then you're a liar!" James shouted back.

"I hate you," Lily mustered the most serious voice she could.

"No you don't-"

"I HATE YOU!" Lily yelled so loud that she thought her throat would burst open.

James stumbled back slightly at the harsh tones Lily was speaking in. Sure, she had said those same exact words before, but never that callously and sincerely. The redhead's face was beat red and there were tears burning her eyes. She didn't dare let them fall though, she didn't want James Potter – of all people – get the best of her. She would never let _him_ see her cry.

"You're my everything," James spoke softly, "and I just can't stand back and watch him hurt you."

"Well, you're nothing to me."

"For now on when you think of me just remember that I could have been the best thing you ever had."

"I highly doubt that," Lily's jaw clenched. "You're a jerk and that's all you'll ever amount to. Now if you excuse me, Brent needs help."

Lily pointed her wand at Brent and levitated him up in the air. She then took him as quickly as she could to the hospital wing. She walked in to see Madam Pomfrey reading a newspaper. She immediately looked up when Lily had called out her name.

"What happened? Was there an attack?" Madam Pomfrey was frantic as she motioned for Brent to be put on a bed.

"Potter, James Potter attacked him," Lily spoke anxiously.

"Potter?" Pomfrey looked confused as she ran her wand over Brent. "I would have never imagined him to go dark."

"Dark?" Lily questioned. "He was just jealous that Brent kissed me."

Three hours sitting in the hospital wing was not fun, not fun at all. It was quite tedious and extremely depressing. Lily had learned from Madam Pomfrey that Brent would be okay and the spell that hit him wasn't even that bad of a one. She also learned that Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore had given Potter a month worth of detentions for attacking a fellow student. They even took off all the points Gryffindor had acquired in the short week of school. .

"Lily?"

Lily turned her head towards where her voice was called. Brent was up and smiling at her. How could one person make her feel so good? The redhead smiled widely and sat down on the corner of his bed. She didn't know what to say, but she didn't have to say anything for Brent talked first.

"I guess James Potter is an angry person, eh?"

"Yeah, angry people just need some hugs… or really sharp objects," Lily replied.

"He's obsessed with you, you know that right?"

"I know, and I wish he wasn't. I don't understand. I'm nothing special-"

"You're beautiful, smart, and witty. You have an exceptional personality. You have a strong will-" it was now Lily's turn to interrupt

"You really do wonders for my ego, pretty soon I'll be the biggest supercilious person known to history."

"Somehow I doubt that whatever is said to you penetrates you."

It was then that Madam Pomfrey came wandering into the infirmary. The woman shooed Lily out, stating that Brent had needed his rest. What was a redhead to do then if not wait in the hospital wing? Well, she could go to the Astronomy Tower and clear her mind, but no. She couldn't for there would be the crazy professors attempting to stalk her. She could talk to Professor Flitwick about the latest charm featured in 'Charmed Chronicles' magazine, but the tiny Charms professor was too disappointed in her.

She was just about to find a hole to crawl in and die when Rhia came into her view. The dark-haired girl had her arms crossed over her chest in a bored fashion. No words were exchanged when Rhia grabbed her best friend's arm and dragged her off. They two walked around the corridors of the castle until they reached the main entrance. Rhia pulled Lily outside and they walked towards the Quidditch Pitch. Where were they going?

It was then that Lily saw where her best friend was taking her. They hid behind a tree so that they could see two dark-haired boys smoking and drinking secretly behind the Quidditch lockers. Black and Potter were actually smoking and drinking! Did they want to die young or something? Lily was about to go out and yell at them, when Rhia held her back.

"Listen," the girl whispered forcefully.

"A fucking month of detention? God, Prongs, why the bloody hell did you attack him anyways?"

"He's a Paddock, Padfoot, what was I supposed to do? Kelly was saying how Lily fancies him, and I couldn't let her fall for him."

"Evans isn't your concern, James," Black sounded almost furious. "If Evans wants to go and get herself killed, then that's her choice."

"She's a Muggleborn, Sirius," Potter replied, "she doesn't understand who his family is. She doesn't understand what they represent."

"She's too fucking trusting for her own sodding good."

Rhia grabbed Lily's arm and dragged her away from the two boys. They walked with their arms linked around the lake to a spot where no one else was around. It was then that Rhia started talking in a very serious tone. It kind of scared Lily to hear the weightiness of her best friend's voice who was rarely ever serious.

"The Paddocks are an old Wizarding family like mine… like James's and Sirius's families. Some old families have old ideals like Brent's and Sirius's. Others could care less like James and mine. You've heard of the Dark Lord emerging, haven't you?"

"Why is every being so cryptic about this guy? Oooh, the Dark Lord! I'm shaking in my knickers," Lily snorted.

"This isn't a time for one of your jokes, Lily, this is a serious matter. It shouldn't be dunked thick in sarcasm."

"Sarcasm is just one of the many services I offer."

"Lily!"

"If this is so serious then tell me what this guy's name is."

"Lily-"

"No, tell me. Come on!"

"People don't speak his name, Lily, because if you speak his name then it's said you're his next victim!"

"Gobbledygook!"

"This isn't a joking matter! For once in your life can't you just be serious?" Rhia exasperated.

"Yeah, well it's kind of hard to take this serious when I don't know what the hell is going on!"

Lily with her redheaded fiery, stormed off towards the castle. She didn't see the big idea about this wizard. As if anyone could be more powerful then Professor Dumbledore. The headmaster would never let anything happen to his students. Lily wasn't even going to care about this so-called 'darkest Dark Lord' until she found out who he was. If he didn't even go by a real name then how bad could he be? Wouldn't it be funny if his real name were Oliver Clothesoff or something equally ridiculous like that?

Lily made her way to the library to research for her Charms essay that was to be written on the Fidelius Charm. As if that would ever be useful in life, Lily thought. She knew that if you used the charm you would have to trust the person completely, but nobody would keep that secret if his or her life was at stake. She grabbed several of the most complex charm books and found herself a table to sit and research.

"Mind if I sit?" Remus Lupin sat a stack of books double the stack of Lily's down on the table.

"Go ahead, Remy," Lily smirked.

"Potions or Charms?" Remus opened a book called 'Restricted Potions of the Dark Arts'.

"Charms," Lily replied with a smile. "Polyjuice just seems like a really easy potion to do an essay on."

"There are a lot of variables that you can talk about in your essay."

"Like what?" Lily looked into the amber orbs of the prefect.

"Well, what if you take a hair from a person who can change their appearance? Do you change into their original image or into the image they are changed into to or do you change with that person under the influence of the potion?"

"You mean like one of those metamorphous people? They are so cool. If I was one I'd get rid of my freckles that have invaded my nose and cheeks."

Remus laughed as he seemed to be counting her freckles on her face. Once you got Remus Lupin to open up and talk to you, he was a really pleasant person to hold a conversation with.

"What's it like being a prefect?"

Gah! Where do these people come from? Is it "sneak up on Lily and scare the crap out of her month"? Argh, it was a first year. Ickle first years were so irritating. Did they actually care what it was like to be a prefect or did this kid just want to impress his friends by talking to an older girl? It would be so typical really if it were the latter of the two.

"Well, Remus and I pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us."

"Really?" the kid seemed not to have understood what Lily had just said.

"_No_, actually it's a thankless job, but I got to build up my karma level."

"Karma level?" the boy asked in wonderment.

"Just do something so very bad at the end of your forth year and you won't ever have to worry about becoming prefect."

The first year boy walked away and practically jogged to his group of friends. Sometimes Lily wished that she could be a little kid again. They didn't have a care in the world. When you were a teenager, you have crazy hormones.

"You're so encouraging, Lily," Remus was smiling brightly.

"I know; I can't help it," Lily's face grew serious. "Do you know anything about this 'Dark Lord'?"

Lily didn't even know why she cared so much about this wizard. It's not like he would affect her life. At least she hoped not. There was a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about it though. It was twisting inside and eating away at her.

"Yeah, he's apparently gathering followers to get rid of Muggleborns."

"Are you a pureblood?"

"No, half actually. My dad's a Muggleborn."

"Do you know this guy's name?"

"I know the name he goes by, but not his birth name," Remus seemed extremely uncomfortable with the subject.

"What is it?" Lily pushed.

"Lord Voldemort," the boy whispered and Lily seriously doubted that she heard anything at all.

It took Lily a couple seconds before she burst out laughing. Everyone in the library turned to watch the eccentric prefect chortle. Some burst out laughing with her, as laughter was very contagious. It was then that Madam Pince came over with a piercing glare. It was as if there was chocolate in the library or something.

"Out!" she shrilled. "You are disturbing the learning environment!"

Remus and Lily grabbed their bags and books. They then scampered out of the library. As soon as the library doors were closed behind them, they both burst out laughing. Lily had dropped her books all over the floor and fell over with them. Remus leaned up against the wall and chuckled with amusement.

"What- what's so fun-funny?" Remus asked between chortles.

"Lord- Lord Vol-Voldymelts!" Lily rolled over onto her back as tears of joy poured down her face. "Who would call themselves that?"

Remus had stopped laughing and stared at the hysteria that was Lily Evans. It seemed as though the boy didn't know what to make of the redhead. He had never realized just how free-spirited and entertaining Lily was until now. How she could take the most serious situation and still be able to make people laugh.

"Apparently that guy," Remus said with a smile.

This made Lily burst out in a fit of giggles. Her pale face was slowly turning the color of her hair. It was quite an amusing sight to watch the fifteen-year-old not have a care in the world. It was reassuring in a scene.

"Remy! Promise me we can always joke about him and not make him into a big thing."

Lily reached out a hand for the boy to help her up. He did so and the two found themselves closer then they had ever been. They could feel each other's breath dancing on their faces and necks. It was almost intoxicating.

"Tuesday we patrol," Lily pulled back.

"Yeah," Remus replied with a slight smile.

"I should probably take these books up and write my essays," Lily started gathering up her books. "Since I have no life and all."

"I don't either," Remus sat his own books down and started to help Lily collect hers up. "Hey… we'll never have Voldymelts work his way into a conversation of ours, unless it's to royally make a mockery of him."

"Thanks," Lily smiled brightly before walking off.

Why was life so complicated at every turn? Why couldn't feelings just be easy? She thought she loved Brent, but Remus gave her the same feeling. Then what were James Potter and Sirius Black talking about while they drank and smoked it up? Then Rhiannon Cromwell had warned her as well. How did you know the difference between good families and bad families? How could you tell the difference between purebloods, half-bloods, and Muggleborns? Why was it so important for purebloods to know other's blood?

It didn't make any sense to Lily. Nothing ever seemed to make since to the redhead. Maybe she was just so naïve that nothing she couldn't discern what certain things meant. On the other hand, maybe she just didn't want to understand the Wizarding World because she was so used to the Muggle World. Whichever it was, it was tremendously annoying.

Lily wasn't going to get anywhere with her essays, so she figured why try? There really wasn't any point to just stare blankly at a piece of parchment when your mind was on something totally different. The redhead reached under her pillow and grasped her beloved journal.

I never thought much about a person's linage. It seems to be really important in the Wizarding World. Some people take things all too seriously. I mean, if the world was going to end there was really nothing that could be done. Fate is fate and destiny is destiny. If I were to die tomorrow, then who says that it's supposed to stop? Who rules this crazy little thing I call life? Who pulls the strings? Who controls us? Well, I suppose this a very awful thing for me to be writing, since I'm Christian. If my mother ever found out… well let's just say that she would hang me like in the olden days. It was very hard for my mother to grasp the idea that I was a witch, but she was proud that I was special nevertheless.

Lily closed her journal with a slight new outlook on life. She wasn't going to let some thick wizard rule her life. So what if this Lord Voldymelts wanted to kill all Muggleborns? She wasn't going to die at the hands of him. No, she had made up her mind. She was stronger then that. She was incredibly stronger then that.

"Oh, Lily Evans!" a female voice said in an annoying tone.

Oh, joys. Kelly Watson. Did she find it incapable to leave Lily alone? Well, if Kelly wanted a fight; she'd get one. Lily pulled opened her curtains surrounding her bed and stuck her head out. In a singsong voice Lily said, "Oh, Kelly Watson! What ever would you like?"

"There seems to be rumors, Lily, that you were caught kissing Brent!"

"Who me?" said Lily putting on a shocked face. "That can't be right! I just wander from room to room!"

"Lily, don't be annoying."

"Kelly, well, you can't stop being a daft so why should I stop being annoying?" Lily shot back.

"Have you ever tried being nicer?"

"Have you ever tried being less dim?"

Kelly looked as if she wanted to asphyxiate the living daylights out of Lily, but this only made the prefect smirk. This made Kelly flare even more. The girl looked about ready to strike the redhead. Kelly opened her mouth and uttered the words, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, I'm just trying to visualize you with a personality."

"Merlin, Lily, you're just so… irritating!"

"Thanks," Lily said icily. "I'll take that as a compliment."

The girl stormed out of the dormitory to leave Lily alone. The redhead flopped down onto her bed and smiled in accomplishment. There was a secret plot forming in Lily's mind. She wanted, by the time she graduated, to make Kelly Watson see how horrible of a person she was. How gossiping and spreading rumors was mean and hurtful. She also planned on getting back at James Potter and Sirius Black and show them they were horrid people. Yes, that was Lily's goal.

It would be until a year and a half later that Lily realized she was in love with James Potter. It wouldn't be before long that Kelly Watson would meet her sticky end. It wouldn't be long before that Lily would realize how important blood was to some wizards and that would tear the redhead apart slowly. Then again, nothing seemed to be on Lily's mind except Brent Paddock and Remus Lupin. How could two boys make her go so crazy? Which would be the best fit for her? She knew – in the pit of her stomach – that neither of them was right for her, but a girl can dream right?

Author's Notes – Another chapter! Jump for joys! I hoped you liked it. Thanks for my beta for being super quick. Don't forget to leave a little something. In addition, you can check my live journal out and read about things to come in the story and my life. The link's in my profile.


	4. Scrumptious Prefects

Chapter Summary-

"Speaking of stalking," Lily turned down right only to see Sirius do the same, "I'm very keen on knowing why you feel the need to stalk and harass me."

Sirius wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders as the two walked towards Defense Against the Dark Arts together. It was very disturbing. Lily loved attention and affection, but not necessarily from a boy she barely even knows.

"I think you're rather enchanting."

"I think you're rather annoying," Lily commented. "Did I mention the kick in the groin you'll be receiving if you keep touching me?"

Chapter Title – Scrumptious Prefects

_In every single word that has been written in a letter, there has been a buried message about a boy who loves a girl. At least that's what I feel when I read Brent's letters. He makes me feel like I've never felt before. I feel so corny whenever I talk about Brent, because I know one day I'll look back on this and utterly hate myself for ever being so immature._

_Brent was checked out of the hospital wing this morning, which was ever so good because there is a prefect meeting in twenty minutes. I can't wait. Who to sit by? Brent or Remus? Maybe I can sit by both of them if I turn my charm on ultra high. How I love being a prefect._

Lily decided that she could write the rest of her thoughts in her journal later. Right now, however, she just wanted to get to that prefect meeting. The redhead stepped out from behind the curtains surrounding her bed. Her emerald orbs glanced across the room as a smile spread across her lips.

The prefect practically skipped down the stairs to the Common Room. How perfect? Remus Lupin, in his school attire, was standing by the portrait hole waiting for her. His sandy hair was hanging in front of his gorgeous amber eyes. His tattered clothes hung loosely on his body. He looked up at the redhead and smiled widely.

"Hey, Lily," he greeted her.

"Why hello, Remy," Lily had dubbed that Remus's official nickname.

"Ready to sit through an exhaustingly tiresome meeting?" Remus asked as the two walked out of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Only if you are," Lily smiled brightly.

The two made small talk all the way to the prefect room. It was quite sad when the two actually had to step inside for the meeting. Brent had saved a seat next to him for Lily. The redhead saw there were actually two seats open, score! Lily motioned Remus to sit down next to her, which he did. It was like being in heaven. Then in went to hell, the meeting started.

Frank Longbottom went on about a lot of stuff. Lily was seriously suspecting that the boy just liked to hear himself talk. He wasn't a sore sight for eyes though. Several of the female prefects were watching him as if they were in a dreamy state. Alice Prewett was one of them. She was a short, blonde-haired sixth year Gryffindor prefect. It was rumored that she had a huge crush on the head boy, but then again, who wouldn't?

Paris Van Arden, she was so ever annoying like usual. She wasn't even paying attention to the meeting. She was too busy applying her overuse of make-up onto her toasty face. She might actually be pretty if she didn't load her face with all that crap. Lily thought it was disgusting. All she put on her face was some light foundation and eyeliner to bring out her eyes.

"Anything to add, Paris?" Frank looked absolutely miserable to be working with her.

"I want a Christmas dance," she spoke swiftly as she snapped shut her foundation case. "We really do need a formal event."

"Who would want to go to some prissy dance?" Skylar Devereux asked.

"I would," Kaelyn Salisbury, the Ravenclaw sixth-year prefect, spoke up. "I think it would be fun."

"I think dances are overrated," Lily interjected. "Just like school."

"Well, obviously your opinion doesn't count," Paris leaned over onto the table, "since you two are just fifth years."

"A difference of opinion doesn't make me wrong," Lily retorted. "Just because two fifth years think your idea is crappy doesn't mean we can't have a vote because it's against yours."

"Okay, let's vote then," the head girl seemed incredibly irritated, "all in favor of a Christmas dance, raise your hand."

Paris was the first hand to rise in the air. Then others started to follow suit. Guinevere Haswell, Kaelyn Salisbury, and Alice Prewett were the first to raise their hands. Argh, and Lily actually respected Guinevere. Then, oh no, Brent just had to raise his hand in agreement. All of the seventh year prefects raised their hands, which was just plain wrong. Even Frank Longbottom raised his hand in the air. A couple sixth years joined in as well. Were these people utterly crazy?

"Well, it seems like the answer is yes," Paris smiled smugly.

"I'm not putting up decorations or anything like that," the redhead leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't pout, Lily," Frank – _Frank _– had actually told her not to pout. That hurt, she thought he was pretty decent. "You will help with the dance, as will everyone else in this room."

"Can I trade this job for what's behind door number one?"

Several of the prefects who wanted nothing to do with the dance snickered at Lily's comment. Remus even smiled at her. This dance, however, faltered Lily's good mood. A _dance_? Who would even go? She didn't want to prepare it. She didn't want anything to do with it. Gah!

The rest of the meeting was just talking about the patrol schedules and "special duties" for the Christmas dance. The only thing that could stop the dance from happening was if Professor Dumbledore vetoed the idea. Lily hoped that the eccentric headmaster would veto it quicker than James Potter uttering a hex under his breath.

The meeting was over a good hour later. How can a group of people talk for so long? It was unnatural. Lily stood up and stretched when Frank had officially declared the meeting over. Remus gathered up some papers that were handed out and placed them neatly into his tattered bag. He slung it over his shoulder and waited for Lily to accompany him back to the dormitory.

"Hey, Paris!" Lily really couldn't resist the chance to insult the head girl. "Whatever look you were going for, you missed!"

Before Paris could fully understand what Lily had said, the redhead grabbed the pale boy by the wrist and practically dragged him out of the prefect room. The two ran down the corridors until they reached the Fat Lady. The two prefects were out of breath and that caused them to start laughing. The two friends fell to the floor.

"I- I haven't ran so- so fast since I was a- a little girl," Lily rested her head on Remus's shoulders.

"I haven't ran like this in forever," there was a gleam in the boy's amber eyes.

"Well, that's just scandalous!" Lily exclaimed. "We'll have to do this more often! We'll have to do things spur of the moment. I bet you don't do anything spur of the moment."

"Plan for tomorrow: be spontaneous," Remus smiled widely.

"Sounds like a pretty spanking fantastic plan to me."

"Are you coming in or not?" the Fat Lady sounded pretty irritated.

"I can only be myself, I'm sorry that's hell for you," Lily smiled and then spoke the password.

"My goodness!"

The two comrades walked into Gryffindor Tower into the Common Room. It was time for partings until tomorrow. Tomorrow was September twentieth; the day Remy Lupin would be spontaneous. He did promise after all.

"G'night, Lils," Remus raised his right hand up lazily before it fell down to his side.

"Goodnight, Remy."

_Goodnight, boy I like, but I'm not going to make a big deal out of._ Remus disappeared up in the stairs, leaving Lily to stand alone in the abandoned Common Room. The redhead had so many conflicting emotions in her that she didn't know which to follow. How in the world did she know who was right for her and who wasn't right? Maybe Brent and Remus were both the wrong guy for her. Maybe it was someone she least expected.

Lily sighed before she walked up to the girl's dormitory. She peaked inside to see everyone asleep, or what appeared to be so. Lily went over to her wardrobe and pulled out her pajamas. She quickly changed and settled into her comfy bed. She closed her eyes and let her dreams cloud her mind.

"Lily Evans!"

Lily cracked opened an eye and looked around at her surroundings. Her name was called again in an awfully aggravating tone. _Rhia_. The redhead sat up in bed with her hair a curly mess. She stepped out from behind the curtains to see a fully dressed Rhiannon Cromwell staring at her.

"What time is it?"

"Six."

"Bugger!"

Lily's first class was at seven. She'd never be ready in time! Bugger! Bugger! Bugger! The prefect flew through the room trying to assemble herself in her school attire. In fifteen quick, hectic minutes, Lily was fully clothed and somewhat presentable. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, her tie was disheveled, and her clothes were twisted on her thin frame.

"Time!" Lily shouted.

"7:45."

"Liar," Lily mumbled as she scrambled through her nightstand drawer for her watch.

"6:17," Rhia sighed. "Now come on, let's get down to breakfast."

The two girls made their way down to the Great Hall. They practically dashed through the corridors to get to the dining hall in a record ten minutes. Gryffindor Tower was on the very top floor while the Great Hall was on the first floor. Let's just say that's a lot of stairs.

The best friends walked in to see August sitting with the "marauders". What in the name of all that is holy was she doing there? Maybe she fancied Remus? They were always talking lately – oh no. Lily froze in her tracks. She couldn't like her friend's boy. Lily wouldn't go for him. No, she would go for Brent. That's it. It'll all work out.

"Lily!"

The redhead jumped back to see Sirius Black standing behind her grinning like a bloody idiot. Did he really have no life? Lily told Black to bugger off as she walked towards the table to get a quick breakfast.

"That's no way to talk to your _friend_," Sirius retorted.

"But I'm not _your _friend," Lily replied as she stabbed a fork into a pile of eggs.

"What's meant to be will always find a way," Sirius picked up a slice of bacon and waved it in front of Lily's face.

"Well, what you're suggesting is that I can hope and wish for a new big sister and that will happen?"

"No, because that's not meant to be."

"I think she was adopted," Lily whispered. "She's not right in the head. She's a retard."

"Well, then, you fit in with her quite nicely," Sirius smirked, "because you're a retard as well."

"I'm a retarded _genius_," Lily spoke in an irritated tone. "Get it right."

Sirius snorted slightly as he started to play with a roll. He was rolling it on the table as if deciding what the next course of action was. Lily had to admit; she knew exactly why her best friend drooled over him. He was drop dead gorgeous. It was all in eyes. His eyes were like gray orbs to his soul. They showed so much pain and knowledge; it was alluring. Then again, his hair was pretty nice too.

"Remus tells me there's going to be a Christmas dance," his gray orbs caught her emerald orbs. "You have a date?"

"No, it was just announced last night. Plus, there's a little over three months to go before it actually comes."

"You know who you want to go with?"

"I'm hoping that a certain boy will ask me…"

_If only James Potter wasn't a git_.

Wait what? Lily snapped her head up and a look of shock crossed her face. Why was she thinking about going with _James Potter_ of all people? No. Oh, bugger. She meant Brent Paddock. Yes, Brent. She wanted Brent to ask her.

"Sorry, but I don't want you to think I'll ask you," Sirius grimaced. "That's not what I wanted you to think. I'm not going to ask you."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Lily spoke sarcastically. "You really make me feel like a winner."

"No, I'm sorry," Sirius sighed. "So you think Paddock will ask you?"

Lily glanced towards him with a condescending look etched on her face. She was quite confident that Brent would ask her, and she was quite confident that she would say yes. Maybe Sirius would ask Rhia. Then Remus could ask August. Then James Potter could ask every single girl, and every girl will turn him down? That would be bittersweet.

"Well, I don't _know_," Lily lied slightly. "Depends on if another girl starts foaming at the mouth when she sees him. There are so many pretty girls in this school. He'll probably ask one of them."

"You're pretty," Sirius replied but then thought better of it when he saw Lily's quizzical look. "I mean, in a disgusting way. Oh, you're so horrid."

"Thanks," Lily said sourly. "You're pretty hideous yourself."

"Thanks!" Sirius smiled widely. "I'm glad we can sit around and joke like this. It really makes my day."

"Yes, and I'm glad you haven't found out about that drool on your pillow yet," Lily stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"What about the drool on my pillow?" Sirius got up as well.

"Sometimes when you wake up in the morning, the drool on your pillow isn't always yours."

"That's a very scary and creepy thought, Lily," Sirius said thoughtfully as the two walked out of the Great Hall. "I never thought you were quite this stalker-ish. I'm intrigued though. Please, teach me your ways. Is there a handbook?"

"Speaking of stalking," Lily turned down right only to see Sirius do the same, "I'm very keen on knowing why you feel the need to stalk and harass me."

Sirius wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders as the two walked towards Defense Against the Dark Arts together. It was very disturbing. Lily loved attention and affection, but not necessarily from a boy she barely even knows.

"I think you're rather enchanting."

"I think you're rather annoying," Lily commented. "Did I mention the kick in the groin you'll be receiving if you keep touching me?"

Sirius drew back his arm and let it fall limply to his side. There was a smile on his face as he glanced towards the redhead. The two walked in silence to the Defense room on the third floor. Once there, Lily had expected them to diverge to their separate parts of the room. The prefect thought wrong. Sirius had followed her to the left side of the room and sat down next to her.

"Please go away, I'm allegoric to creeps," Lily whined slightly.

"Argh, that cut me deep. I'm not a creep!" Sirius touched his heart. "I thought you were teaching me how to be a notorious stalker!"

"Maybe later."

Why was it that every time Lily was late getting ready that she was always early to class? Ironic little? Everyone else soon started filing into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Rhia, August, and the "marauders" didn't know quite what to do when they walked in. It was very unusually for them to sit together. James walked over and sat on the other side of Sirius with a suspicious look on his face. A disappointed Rhia took a seat next to her best friend. August sat down next to Rhia as Remus sat down next to August. Peter sat down next to James. It was a quite odd grouping.

Professor Vanderveer walked into the classroom from his office above the room. His golden smile was etched on his face like usual. His long mane of brown hair flowed down to his shoulders. His sunken cheeks and scruffy appearance made some of the girls daydream about him. He was in his late thirties. The professor was an ex-Auror. He, unfortunately, had to retire due to an injury to his knee on the job. He was labeled a liability. He did receive an honorable discharge, but the professor had burned it.

A piece of parchment found it's way in front of Lily. The prefect glanced over at her best friend before picking up the parchment and reading it. It read, "Do you like Sirius? Does he like you? Be honest, Lily." The redhead didn't know how to respond. She grabbed a quill from her bag and wrote, "Owe. That hurts, Rhia. I can't believe you would ever think that." Lily slid the parchment over towards Rhia.

"Today, class, we will be learning about the most vicious curses known to wizard kind," Professor Vanderveer surveyed the students before continuing. "The Unforgivable Curses. Who can name one?"

Lily looked around the room. She had never heard of the Unforgivable Curses before. She assumed they were curses that could kill, because that is unforgivable. Other than that, Lily hadn't the faintest idea. The redhead looked over to see a very pale James Potter. He looked ever so sad at this point. Sirius's face was hard with detest.

"Miss Diefendorf?"

"The Imperious Curse is known to control the mind of anyone who is placed under it with the incantation of 'Imperio'."

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Vanderveer said aloofly. "Miss Black?"

"Crucio, Latin for to torture, causes excruciating pain to anyone it is cast on."

Lily could hear James breathing hard. He was as pale as a ghost at this point. His eyes looked unfocused and cold. The redhead watched as Sirius placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder and whisper something. What was going on?

"Ten points to Slytherin,' Professor Vanderveer was staring at James at this point. "Mr. Potter? I suspect you know the last curse very well."

James looked up at the professor with pure hatred in shining in his eyes. Lily watched James reach for his wand, only to have Sirius stop him. The professor walked towards them with a determined look on his face. Professor Vanderveer leaned down to face the messy-haired boy.

"Your father would be disgusted if he saw this was the way you were acting," the professor whispered only loud enough so that Lily could hear him. "It's a disgrace to his memory."

"Avada Kedavra," James whispered acrimoniously.

"What does Avada Kedavra do, Mr. Potter?"

"A flash of green light emits from a wand and kills the target."

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Vanderveer walked back up to the front of the classroom.

"Bastard," Sirius spoke softly.

"Sorry I questioned you," Lily turned her gaze down to the note that was on her desk from Rhia. The rest of the class period was spent analyzing the three curses. James hadn't uttered a single word since the display at the beginning of the class. The bell rung to indicate class was over. James and Sirius bolted out of the room as quickly as possible. Their assignment was to choose a curse and research it.

"What was that all about?" Lily asked as the three female friends walked down for lunch. "With James and Vanderveer?"

"James's older brother was an Auror," Rhia explained. "He was murdered with Avada Kedavra about three years ago."

"That's horrible."

"Yeah, I don't know too much about it. Apparently Vanderveer was involved somehow," Rhia reached into her bag and pulled out a box of Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "My father told me not to go near him alone."

"So you're saying Professor Vanderveer is a Death Eater?" August asked.

"Death Eater?" Lily asked aghast. "Why would anyone want to eat the dead?"

Rhia and August both looked over at Lily as if they had never seen anything like her before. The look Lily was receiving was unnerving. Maybe this was one of those ask Remus questions.

"Well?"

"Death Eaters are followers of You-Know-Who," Rhia said softly.

"No, I don't know who – oh right. That's that bloke Voldymelts?" Lily questioned.

"Lily!" August exclaimed in fright.

"Don't speak, Lily," Rhia shook her head.

"Gah! This is stupid! No one ever listens to me until I make a mistake, and then you people are all 'Oh my, Lily, don't say such horrid things. You're such a horrible person. Can't you just shut up for once?' I'm sick of it," Lily whined. "Why don't you just never pay attention even when I say something wrong? Eh?"

"Maybe you should read the Daily Prophet a little more," August suggested.

"Uh, August, that requires money."

The two girls started to walk away from Lily. It was then that the redhead shouted, "Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that everything in life is serious!" She knew that her friends heard her and that was enough for Lily.

A hand then covered Lily's eyes. She smiled and secretly hoped it was Brent behind her. She blinked her eyes several times to make her eyelashes tickle the person's hand. She succeeded for the hand drew back and a male chuckle was heard from behind her. The redhead turned around to see Brent Paddock standing behind her.

"You're ever so devilish," Lily smirked.

"Devilish?" Brent questioned her.

"Don't worry about it," Lily waved her right hand.

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep now!"

"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried," Lily smirked.

"Anyways, enough of that silliness," Brent waved a hand reminiscent to the motion Lily made not too long ago. "I was thinking about this Christmas Ball that's coming up in several months-"

"You mean the one that you're all for? That one? The stupid one that Paris Van Arden suggested?"

"Yes, precisely!" Brent smiled. "You're a very intelligent girl!"

"I know; I am truly amazing. I just can't help it!"

"Well, I think it would be prudent if the two of us went together."

Shocked, Lily dropped her jaw down. It looks like Brent Paddock was the one after all.

"What if you change your mind from now to then?" Lily questioned.

"Oh, I won't. That's why I'm asking you to be my date," Brent grasped Lily's hand in his. "Next weekend is the first Hogsmeade weekend, and I was hoping that we could go together.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Lily's heart was beating so fast that it felt as though it were going to burst from her chest cavity. _Lily _go on a _date_? She had never been on a date before. This was all too bittersweet! Eek! Lily wanted to scream and dance and prance around.

"I would love to," Lily tried not to make a big deal out of it when it really was.

"I'll see you in Herbology tomorrow," Brent leaned over and kissed the redhead on the cheek. "Ravenclaws and Gryffindors have that together."

"I would have never guessed."

Lily was blindsided by Brent's good looks that she didn't see what was right in front of her. The redhead would one day hate the boy with a fiery passion for a series of mistakes he would make. She would find out that you shouldn't trust people just because you know them from classes and prefect meetings. Some people were just plain evil. She would find out that some people did the things they did with good intentions or out of anger. Some people were just vengeful but extremely good people. Lily would find out that she didn't know her best friends at all, and that they were masked by fear and uncertainties. There was a certain evil that was rising, and it was looking for blood. It was out for Lily's blood.

Author's Notes - Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Hope you enjoyed. I even posted this chapter a day early!


	5. Full Moon

Chapter Summary-

"All I want is for one guy to prove to me that they're not all the same," Lily spoke passionately. "I want them to kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time, as if we were going to die tomorrow. I want to be the girl he points to when he says, 'that's her'. I want to feel that special feeling. I want them to tell all of their friends about me and love me like I've never been loved before."

Chapter Title – Full Moon

_Sometimes you don't know people as well as you thought you did. Sometimes not everything is ice cream and puppies. Sometimes people cover up the truth with exotic lies because they don't want their true side to be revealed. As if I would care if someone was a werewolf. Why wouldn't said person just trust my judgment and stop lying to me. It's pathetic. I made up my mind as soon as I heard it. I was going to confront the werewolf until he broke and spilt the beans. Spill the beans, that's such a witty phrase. Why would you want to spill beans? Getting off topic, let me tell you about today and how I came to find out what about a certain Remus (Remy) Lupin. You see, August and I were out on the Astronomy Tower during the full moon on September 20…_

"I'm so bored," Lily whined. "I'm supposed to be patrolling tonight, but noooo. Remus Lupin just had to change this date. Did he care that I would be ever so bored? No. Does he care that I need to be entertained? No."

That had gone on for the past twenty minutes. Lily – who had wanted nothing to do with her responsibilities as prefect – now couldn't wait to go on her two hour walks with Remus Lupin. The redhead enjoyed the boy's company. They did get along famously after all.

"It sounds to me that you like him," August spoke with a sad tone.

"Ew, Remus Lupin?" Lily asked. "I'm dating Brent."

After the whole lake incident, as people were now deeming it, Brent had basically asked her to go with him. Lily had wanted to jump for joy and dance around crazily when he asked her. She wanted to get her camera, take random pictures, and then post them all over her dorm. She wanted everyone to know that she was truly intoxicated with bliss. She wanted this feeling of contentment to stay with her forever.

"So?" Lily tried to make it sound like it was no big deal.

"Lily…"

"Okay, so maybe I'm having mixed feelings. I know you like Remus though, so I'm not going to try to get him."

Yes, Lily felt the same exact way with Remus as she did with Brent. It was really confusing for the fifteen-year-old. She never knew that you could love two different people at once. Maybe it wasn't love, however. Maybe it was just her fanatical hormones.

August glanced at Lily very quickly before turning away and looking up at the sky. The stars twinkled in the moonlight. It seemed as though it was daytime due to the amount of light radiating from the sky. It was absolutely breathtaking from the Astronomy Tower, especially since it just happened to be almost midnight.

"I used to love full moons growing up," August spoke with nostalgia.

"Why don't you now?" Lily turned her body to view her friend.

"Werewolves," August seemed as though she was in pain just saying that word.

"Werewolves don't exist."

August turned her head at the redhead's naïve words. Lily was extremely clueless as to why August had a bewildered yet an understanding look about her. It was a scary kind of look, since the prefect had never received a look quite like that in her life.

"Werewolves are real aren't they?" Lily asked as August nodded in response.

Lily turned back to the sky and looked at the full moon with a new sense of knowledge. Werewolves, a childhood fantasy, were real. Lily didn't know why she didn't expect them to be real. If wizards and witches really existed then why wouldn't werewolves? The Wizarding World was so confusing. From now on though, everything was real.

"Maybe I was right," Lily said with a smirk on her face.

"About?"

"My sister being a werewolf."

The two girls burst out laughing. It felt good to laugh like this. Lily always enjoyed a good chuckle. Something then dawned on the redhead like a ton of bricks. _Remus Lupin cancelled this patrol tonight_.

"When's the next full moon?" Lily asked seriously as she turned her head to face her friend.

"Umm… October 20th I believe."

Wait. Hold up. Remus cancelled September 20th and October 20th, which just happened to be _two_ nights with full moons. He cancelled November 18th and December 18th as well. Were those full moon dates as well? What if they got more patrols on full moon dates when they got their second semester prefect patrol schedules? Would he miss those days as well? Was it a coincidence? _There are no such things as coincidences_. Remus wasn't even in classes today…

"Lily, what are you thinking?"

How many times over the years had Remus missed school? He had at least once a month. How many various excuses did he give? His mother was sick. His father was sick. A grandparent died – at least eight times. How many grandparents could he possibly have? His cousin died. There were so many deaths and illnesses. What if it was just _his _illness?

"Remus Lupin is a werewolf."

August glanced sideways at Lily with an indifferent look on her face. The chestnut-haired girl then turned back to the sky as if she was collecting her thoughts. Lily wanted to royally pound her at this moment to get out what August thought. Lily knew her friend knew something.

"I think this is something you should bring up with Remus."

"You know though, don't you?" Lily inquired.

August gave Lily an unnerving glance before leaving the redhead alone on the Astronomy Tower. Lily was sick of this. She just wanted to be let in on what was going on. Would anyone tell her though? Nooo… she wasn't allowed to know. Well, all she knew is that she was going to get this information out of Remy Lupin if it was the last thing she did.

The next morning Lily woke up with an innovative view on life. She knew exactly what she was going to do. Tonight she was patrolling with Remus, and she was going to have him spill everything. It was going to be a very entertaining night, indeed.

Classes were extremely boring today, not that they weren't usually. Remus Lupin wasn't in any of the classes today. Maybe he wouldn't be well enough to patrol with her tonight. Transfiguration was so dull. They had to transfigure a piece of paper into something complicated. Lily transfigured her paper into a quill. Then it was off to Arithmomancy, which was equally as boring. Maybe Lily just had her mind on too many things to concentrate?

Dinner came all too slowly. Once it came though, Lily jumped for joy. Remus Lupin was sitting in-between August and James. He looked ever so sick. He always looked sick, but today he was so pasty that it was worse then usual.

Lily sat down across from August, Remus, and James. She picked up a roll and buttered it with her knife. August looked up and gave the redhead a warning gaze. It wasn't before long that Sirius Black came and sat down next to Lily.

"Pass the butter, please," Sirius asked politely as he reached out for the butter as Lily handed it to him.

"Where were you, Remus?" Lily asked.

"Uhh… I was- my mum was sick," Remus replied nervously.

"It seems as though your family is a very _sick_ bunch."

"Heh, yeah, it seems that way, eh?"

"All men are annoying!"

Rhia Cromwell planted herself down by her best friend. The dark-haired girl seemed to be in the worst mood ever. She grabbed a fork and started to stab everything in sight. What was wrong?

"Not all men are annoying," Lily commented. "Some are dead."

"Shut-up, Lily," Rhia snapped.

Oh, she was royally pissed off.

"Ouch," Lily touched her heart, "I see the seething fairy has visited us again!"

"Piss off," Rhia stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"She loves me," Lily remarked. "She really does. She's just afraid to show it."

Dinner passed without any more interruptions. It would be time for patrol in a mere hour now. Lily was extremely anxious for that time to come. She wanted – no needed – to know Remus's secret. What was she to do before it was time to patrol though? Well, it seemed like Brent answered that question.

As soon as dinner was over, Brent Paddock had come up towards Lily. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and the two walked out of the Great Hall. The two walked around the corridors of Hogwarts were about ten minutes before Brent pulled Lily into an abandoned classroom.

"I have to patrol in less than an hour."

"I know," Brent replied absentmindedly.

"Stalker," Lily hissed playfully with a smile on her face.

"You know, we barely know each other," Brent whispered.

"What's it worth knowing someone? We're both scrumptious so let's get on with it."

Lily stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. Patience wasn't one of Lily Evans's virtues. When she wants something, she takes it the first chance she gets. At the moment, Lily wanted Brent. Therefore, Lily got what she wanted. It was a whole twenty seconds of absolute bliss before Brent pulled away.

"I never imagined you to be aggressive."

"Well, we are getting to know each other… getting to know each other's mouths," Lily moved her face closer to his.

"Lily!"

"I'm sorry," Lily tried to sound as sincere as possible. "I didn't mean to-"

Before Lily could utter another word of babble out of her mouth, the fellow prefect had pulled her into a fierce, passionate kiss. The redhead wrapped her arms around the boy's neck as his hands pulled her body close to his. Lily didn't know how long they stayed like that – sucking face like there was no tomorrow – but the girl pulled away and glanced down at Brent's wristwatch.

"Oh, bugger!"

"What?"

"I'm late for patrol!" Lily exclaimed as she licked her lips. "I have to go meet Remus!"

Lily dashed out of the room and ran as fast as her little legs would allow her to Gryffindor Tower. Lily didn't even reach the tower before she ran into Remus Lupin, quite literally too. She had collided into him as she turned a tight corner. They both fell down with cries of shock. Lily sat up and looked at her prefect partner, whose shirt was being doused in a red liquid.

"Remus, you're hurt," Lily crawled over towards him.

"I'm fine," he hissed out in pain.

Lily reached out her long, pale fingers to the collar of the boy's white dress shirt. She unbuttoned the top two buttons and pulled the shirt down. On his shoulder was a long scratch that appeared to go across his whole chest and down to his stomach. There was also a bite mark on his right side.

"What happened?"

"My dog at home he uh… scratched me up pretty bad," Remus's movements were nervous.

"Right," Lily stood up and offered a helping hand to her friend. "Let's get patrolling."

The patrol was very much like the first patrol of the year. It was uncomfortable and silent. They looked in the classrooms and walked the halls in complete silence. Lily hated it more then she hated anything else. She thought they were getting along so well. Ten minutes into the patrol, Lily started to speak.

"I've never been so bored in my life," Lily commented.

"Sorry, I'm not really in a talkative mood," Remus replied with a sheepish smile. "You can talk all you want, and I promise to listen."

"Okay, there is something that's on my chest," Lily spoke with a gigantic sigh. "I've noticed things."

"Things?"

"I'm noticed you, Remus," Lily said seriously. "I noticed that you cancelled last night and last night was a full moon. Then I noticed that next month you cancelled on a patrol. I've always noticed through the years you've missed classes at least once a month."

Lily watched the little color in Remus's face drain completely. She watched his eyes glaze over. She saw the look of pain, disappointment, and sadness stretch upon his face in an instant. The redhead wanted to hug him. No one deserved to look like Remus did.

"Remus, are you a were-"

"No!" Remus said in a rush as he turned towards Lily. "You- you think I'm some sort of- of _beast_?"

"Remy," Lily spoke gently, "even if you were I wouldn't care. You're my friend. Just – please – don't lie to me. I'll only hate you and storm off if you lie to me."

Remus turned towards his patrol partner with confusion sketched all over his pale face. He looked like he wanted to run, cry, and laugh all at the same time. His gorgeous eyes held so much pain and despair that Lily wanted nothing more but to look away. She couldn't know though, she knew if she did, he wouldn't tell her the truth.

"Do you know what if feels like? Being alone?" Remus spoke as if it were killing him to do so. "Being inflicted with something you didn't ask for? Do you know what it's like to feel isolated? What it's like to be so afraid that if anyone found out your skeletons that they'll hate you and turn everyone against you?"

"No," the redhead whispered. "I can't say that I do."

"I didn't tell you, because we were getting along so well! I don't want you to hate me or-"

"I don't, Remus!" Lily proclaimed. "I told you that! I just wanted to know the truth."

Lily took several steps towards him. Her arms wrapped themselves around the teenage werewolf. The boy, who was in utter shock, slowly wrapped his arms around the girl's waist. The two friends stayed in each other's arms feeling the warmth and comfort of each other. It was nearly five minutes later when Lily pulled back. She pressed her lips tenderly on the boy's pale cheek before pulling back completely.

"Come on, Wolfe, we have some patrolling to do," Lily smiled widely.

"You really don't care?"

"As long as you just be yourself, it doesn't matter if it's good enough for anyone else," Lily linked her arm with Remus. "Let's go get something to snack on. You look like you could use something to eat."

"I've been eating none stop all day since I woke up."

The two friends laughed. Lily started running down the corridors, pulling Remus right behind her. Remus did promise he would be spontaneous and now as the time to show it. The prefects didn't stop running until they reached the fruit bowl portrait that lead to the kitchen.

"You- you know about this?" Remus asked out of breath.

"How could I not?" Lily spoke with a smile dancing on her features.

Long fingers reached out and tickled the pear in the portrait. The hidden doorway opened, and the two friends walked inside. House elves from every direction swarmed the two. The big-eared creatures all started talking at once with questions to the teenagers at what they would like.

"A strawberry éclair bar," Lily answered, "please."

"Carrots, please."

"Carrots?" Lily snorted. "You have great eye sight. If anyone needed to eat carrots it would be that friend of yours, James Potter."

"Lily, people don't only eat carrots to get good eye sight," Remus retorted with a laugh. "Just wait."

The two thanked the house elves once again and walked out of the kitchens to continue their patrol. Remus ate his carrots and chocolate – he always has a bar of chocolate with him – while Lily ate her éclair bar. The redhead was an extremely slow eater when it came to ice cream. It soon started to melt.

"Look! You're so hot you melted my ice cream, Remus," Lily waved the bar in front of Remus's eyes.

"I highly doubt I was the one who melted it," Remus's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"So… I heard about that huge row you had with James, by the lake," Remus popped a carrot into his mouth and then a piece of chocolate.

"Yeah, he's an idiot."

"He likes you, you know," Remus supplied.

"I know," Lily sighed dramatically.

"You hate him?"

"No," Lily answered, "he wouldn't be half bad if he didn't think he was the best thing since sliced bread."

Remus looked torn as to what to say at this point. It seemed as though he wanted to both agree and tell Lily off at the same time. The prefect settled by just sighing and popping another carrot into his mouth. Lily burst out laughing at this action, even though she had no idea why.

"All I want is for one guy to prove to me that they're not all the same," Lily spoke passionately. "I want them to kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time, as if we were going to die tomorrow. I want to be the girl he points to when he says, 'that's her'. I want to feel that special feeling. I want them to tell all of their friends about me and love me like I've never been loved before."

"We're growing up so much. We're growing into adults, but we're really truly still like children. We live day to day and take care of what needs to be done, but we stop every now and again to throw snowballs at each other to remember that the good days never left. You see, we never really grow up, and the person you're describing and yearn doesn't really exist. Words are words, but they're not facts. Love like that never lasts forever."

Lily just stared at Remus with the look of utter love in his eyes. His amber eyes were so longing to have that love just as she was. Amber met emerald and they just gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever but in reality, it wasn't even a minute.

"I'll never forget the look of love in your eyes," Lily spoke softly.

"I think our two hours are just about up," Remus whispered.

"I think so too."

The two walked back to Gryffindor Tower together. The two prefects never took notice of the five younger students out of bed. Then again, the prefects never really looked for students out of bounds. If they were stupid enough to purposely get caught by Remus and Lily, then they deserved the point deduction or detention. Other wise, the two prefects were oblivious to everything that happened while on patrol.

They bid each other a goodnight and diverged up into their separate dormitories. Lily walked into the girls' fifth yea dormitory to see Rhia was the only one awake. Her eyes were red with tears, and she was sitting on Lily's bed as if she was waiting for her best friend.

"I'm sorry I was an utter bitch earlier," Rhia's blue eyes locked with Lily's emerald.

"Don't worry about it," Lily waved her right hand nonchalantly.

Lily sat down next to her best friend and wrapped an arm around the dark-haired girl's shoulders. The redhead turned to look at Rhia. Lily wanted to know what had upset her friend earlier. She knew not to ask, however, because the girl would only get mad.

"I hate Sirius Black."

"I hate James Potter."

"We should do something about it," Rhia conceded. "I could befriend James and tell him nasty things about you so he'll leave you alone. Then you can befriend Sirius and tell him nothing but wonderful things about me."

"I thought you hated him," Lily said confused.

"Some were saying I was the girl whom he got pregnant, and I heard him say something about me. He said that… he would never sleep with a whore like me."

"Black's an idiot," Lily brushed a piece of hair out of Rhia's eyes. "If anything, you will always be my little whore and that's all."

"Seriously though, can we try my plan?"

Me befriend Black?" Lily asked in shock. "Are you mad? Do you even know me at all? I'm a wallflower."

"You are not a wallflower, Lily," Rhia shook her head. "Whoever told you that?"

"It's common knowledge, really," the redhead cracked a smile. "I'm one to stand against the wall and observe. I understand people better then anyone else."

"If you're such an understanding wallflower, then tell me why Sirius Black is a git."

The redhead jumped up into a sitting position and looked as though she were in deep thought. There was a puzzling look on her elegant face as her long, pale fingers twisted themselves around her chin. Her emerald eyes danced with excitement as she gracefully lifted her left auburn eyebrow up into the air.

"It would seem as though Sirius Black is in some serious need of attention, making him act out the way he does," Lily stood up from the bed and crossed the room to her closet. "His parents hate him and so he craves for the attention that he doesn't get at home."

"Well, if you know him so well, then you can befriend him," Rhia said with a smile. "It's not like you two don't talk and laugh together already."

"You're delusional," Lily replied sourly.

"You're weird."

"I'm not weird! I'm _gifted_."

"Goodnight, Lily."

"'Night, girly."

A certain redhead and a certain werewolf would soon become the best of friends. They would turn to each other when they needed a shoulder to cry on. This would be the friendship that would build the bridge that would bring Lily and James together. Plots are being formed in every Hogwarts house. The professors live hidden lives. Nothing is what it seems. This would be the beginning of the end.

Author's Notes – Sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoyed this new installment. Please, leave your comments!


	6. A Hogsmeade Rendezvous

Chapter Summary –

"Why do you wear a bra?" Sirius asked looking at Lily's bra strap that was showing on her right shoulder. "It's not like you have anything to put in there."

"Well, you wear pants don't you?" Lily retorted angrily.

Chapter Title – A Hogsmeade Rendezvous

_The first Hogsmeade day of the year is always the most exciting Hogsmeade day of the entire year. It's an extra exciting for me since I have a date. Yes, me! Little, redheaded Lily Evans is going on her first date. It's pathetic really, seeing as I'm fifteen years old and I've never been on a single date in my whole life. I feel so… what's the word I'm looking for? Extremely sad? Pathetic just sounds so horrible that I wanted to think of a different word that sounds less pathetic. It really doesn't work though. It's a horrid thing, really._

Lily shut her journal with a content smile on her face. She shoved the journal under her pillow and emerged from behind her curtains. The redhead walked over towards her wardrobe and rummaged through the contents to find the perfect outfit. Lily didn't have any nice, girly clothes.

"Rhia, I'm going through your clothes!"

Lily walked over to her best friend's wardrobe to find a nice outfit since Rhia was as girly as girly could be. Pale fingers grabbed a white skirt that would reach a couple inches above the knee. She then found a red tank top and a pink cardigan. _Prefect_, Lily thought.

As soon as Rhia came out of the bathroom, Lily ran in. She changed, did her hair, and applied her make-up. She stepped out of the bathroom a good half hour later to see a very bored looking Rhia. The dark-haired girl looked her friend up and down with a small smile.

"You look like Madam Pince, only more whore-ish," Rhia commented.

"Gee, thanks, Rhia," Lily groaned.

"I'm sorry," Rhia said as she stood up and grabbed her make-up bag. "You just need some lipstick, eye shadow, and some blush to make you look drop dead gorgeous!"

"I'm not going to let you play dress up and make me look like some whore!"

"I'm not going to load it on, I'm just going to give you a little… color," Rhia protested. "Wait, do I look like a whore with my make-up?"

"Do I have to answer?" Lily said with a smile.

It took twenty minutes for Rhia to make her best friend absolutely breathtaking. She had applied pale green eye shadow so that there was slight color to make her emerald eyes pop out. A light blush was applied to take away from the paleness so that her hair and face didn't blend. A pink shimmer was applied to the redhead's luscious lips. Then Rhia moved on to the curly redheaded mess that Lily called hair. It was straightened to give a sleek, elegant look.

"I think you look somewhat presentable," Rhia stepped back to admire her work. "Unbutton the cardigan though. Show some of your cleavage."

"Rhia," Lily whined, "I really don't have any."

"Well, next time when life hands you a lemon, stick them down your bra and make your boobs bigger."

Lily rolled her eyes before she made her exit from the dormitory. A laughing Rhia jogged to catch up to her friend so that the two could walk to the Great Hall together. They walked into the dining hall to see almost all of the students eating their breakfast. August was sitting next to Remus and the rest of the 'marauders'. The two best friends decided that they would sit across from the small group.

"Lily Evans!" Sirius Black shouted as he stood up and started to clap. "I'm glad to see you've finally woken up so that you could grace us with your presence."

"The early bird _can_ catch the worm, but the second mouse _always_ gets the cheese," Lily spoke with a smile stretched upon her face.

"What's up with the make-up? Where's Plain Lily gone?"

"She's been kidnapped and hidden in a broom closet."

Lily piled some eggs onto her plate and stabbed a fork into them, pretending that eat piece of egg was Sirius Black's head. Emerald eyes wandered up to see James Potter gawking at her. Didn't he have someone else to look at? It was very rude to watch people while they ate.

"What?" Lily questioned annoyed.

"I'm sorry," James replied as he adverted his eyes.

"Don't apologize," Lily stated as the messy-haired boy looked up at her. "Just choke and die."

"You really know how to bring me down," Potter replied.

"You really know how to bring down everyone in general," Lily snapped.

Potter grumbled as he turned back to his food. Black watched the whole exchange with disappointment etched onto his face. He started tapping his fork against his plate with a thoughtful look. He glanced at Lily and then at James as if he was plotting something.

"You know what?" Sirius announced as he pushed his plate away from him. "A balanced diet is really a cookie in each hand. Why don't we go down to the kitchens and eat some cookies, eh? James, what do you say?"

"What?" James inquired. "Why?"

Sirius made a face as James gave out a small cry. The two boys then left. Lily watched the exchange in utter amusement. A body then sat down next to Lily. She looked over to see Brent's smiling face with his dazzling teeth and all. He even had a white lily in his hand

"Ready to go out?" Brent asked as he tucked the lily behind the redhead's ear.

"Am I ever?" Lily smiled.

The two walked towards the front doors to stand in line. There was already about twenty students in line to get checked off for the Hogsmeade trip. Within ten minutes, the two prefects were up to the front of the line.

"Brent Paddock," Brent spoke his name to the caretaker so that he would be marked off.

"Evans comma Lillian," Lily said with a smile spread across her face.

Mr. Filch gave Lily a dirty glance before he drew a line through her name. The Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw walked outside into the sun. They strolled down the long pathway towards Hogsmeade. It seemed to take forever before they reached the small village.

"Where would you like to go?" Brent asked as his hand found its way to the small of Lily's back.

"How about a drink?" the redhead replied.

The two made their way to the Three Broomsticks. The boy went to buy the drinks because boys always buy the drinks. Lily went over to a booth in the corner to get the two seats for small pub quickly filled up with students and teachers alike on Hogsmeade weekends.

If Lily said she wasn't nervous about today, then she would be lying. She was terribly afraid she would screw up her first date. She didn't want that to happen, but Lily always had a way of ruining things. There was this one time, last year, at her sister's sweet sixteen party. Lily had been fourteen at the time. She was forbidden by Petunia not to disturb her party with any of her "freakishness". Well, Lily couldn't really resist not knowing what was going on in the basement of her own house. The redhead sneaked down into the basement to see that her sister had somehow managed to slip boys into the house. Boys were forbidden in the Evans' household unless they were in sight of Lily's parents. Lily, who always had the trouble of keeping her mouth shut, burst out laughing for a whale of a boy was sucking face with Petunia. Just the sight of her bony sister making out with a man made of all fat was too much to bear. Long story short, Lily's parents had rushed down into the basement and had commanded everyone out of their house. Petunia was grounded for two months because of that. Her mother even said that if Petunia asked her about the boys that they could have stayed for a couple hours as long as they stayed in the living room.

Brent came towards the booth with two large glasses of butterbeer. The boy sat down next to her. They chatted about classes and the Christmas dance. They drank their butterbeers while they laughed. It was truly a magical afternoon. Once they were done, Brent had commented that he needed to send out a letter in the local post office. Lily, personally, found this strange since he could have just sent out a letter through the owlery. The redhead didn't comment about it, however, for some people just had strange ways of doing things.

They walked into the noisy post office. Hundreds of owls were hooting all at once. Lily had to sidestep several piles of – well, owl poop to be quite honest. She had never owned an owl herself. She always borrowed the school owls to send letters to her parents. Then during the summer, Lily had to wait for her friends to owl her first and after that, she could send a letter back. She really needed an owl of her own.

"I want this sent as soon as possible," Brent's voice was low and mysterious. "I need it sent to a man named Lucius Malfoy."

Lucius Malfoy? Now that sounds like a sordid name in Lily's eyes. She wouldn't question it. Maybe that was Brent's uncle or brother-in-law? Perhaps this Malfoy character was his father's business associate? It really didn't matter at all, but Lily would be a liar if she said she wasn't curious about everything.

It was really hot in the post office. Lily started fanning herself with her right hand as she looked at all the owls. The redhead looked over at Brent who was still talking to a postal service employee. The hotness was becoming unbearable. How could anyone work in a place like this? Lily unbuttoned her cardigan and slipped it off her shoulders. Ah, that was better. Lily stole a glance at Brent before stepping outside of the post office to wait for her date.

"Oh, Lily Evans!"

The redhead turned her head to see Sirius Black strolling towards her with a goofy smile planted on his face. Why did the boy always have to be ever so aggravating? Lily turned away from the boy. She leaned her head back to rest on the brick building behind her as she closed her eyes.

"Oh, Sirius Black!" Lily called back in fake enthusiasm.

"What are you doing out here all on your own?"

Lily cracked open her eye to see Sirius Black standing right next to her with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He towered over the petite redhead, which made Lily fell horribly small. She stood up straight as if trying to beat the boy's height.

"I'm waiting for Brent," Lily replied. "He's sending a message."

Sirius looked over at the girl with a comical face. His smile reached his eyes as he too stood up to his full height. The dark-haired boy looked down at the redhead with a look of triumph on his face. With a witty grin on his face, Sirius asked, "How tall are you?"

"What?" Lily replied as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"How tall are you?" the boy repeated.

"Five foot three inches," Lily spoke as she stood up on her tiptoes, "and a half. How tall are you?"

"Six foot two," Sirius's smile grew. "You're incredibly short. I suggest you don't stand on your tiptoes because even when you do you don't get that extra half."

"Okay! Fine! Maybe I am five foot three inches! So what?" Lily replied as her heels touched the floor. "I'm short! You're tall! Big deal!"

The two stood there for several seconds before Sirius's eyes lingered from the redhead's face down lower. Lily flared at this. Why would he be looking at her like that? She instinctively wrapped her arms around her chest.

"Why do you wear a bra?" Sirius asked looking at Lily's bra strap that was showing on her right shoulder. "It's not like you have anything to put in there."

"Well, you wear pants don't you?" Lily retorted angrily.

"Owe," Sirius touched his heart. "That hurts."

"Oops, did my honestly hurt your feelings?" Lily asked in mock shock. "Well, get over it."

Brent walked out of the post office at this point. He looked at Lily and then at Sirius. There was an unreadable, undecipherable look on the boy's face. Brent walked over towards Lily and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He stared pointedly into Sirius's eyes with a look of pure hatred.

"_Black_," Brent said nonchalantly.

"_Paddock_," Sirius replied nastily.

"How's Uncle Leo?" Brent asked as Lily narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Well, I suppose you would know more about how my father is doing than I would."

Wait. Wait. What? Lily's eyes darted from Sirius and Brent in disbelief. _They were cousins?_ This was all too much. They were actually related, and they hated each other? Oh, well, that was quite fitting wasn't it?

"You two are related?" Lily asked to clarify the situation.

"My mother and Sirius's father our siblings," Brent supplied. "Sirius doesn't quite like that little fact."

"Why the hell would I?" Sirius retorted.

"Come on, Lily," Brent smiled maliciously, "let's go shopping or something."

"So help me, Paddock, if you hurt one hair on her head, I will kill you," Sirius spoke gravely.

"Why would I hurt my girlfriend?" Brent asked. "Who would do such a thing?"

To say that Lily knew what was going on and what was meant would be untruthful. It bugged the redheaded prefect though. What was meant by the words exchanged? Why would Sirius think that Brent would ever hurt her? What was meant when she overheard Black and Potter after the whole "lake incident". This was just all too confusing.

The rest of the Hogsmeade trip was spent shopping. Who would have guessed that Brent Paddock loved the shop? It was too good to be true. When it was time to go back to the castle, the third years and above all slowly sauntered back to school. By the time they got back, it was time for dinner.

Lily went off on her separate way towards the Gryffindor table. Rhia was already eating by the time Lily got there. The redhead sat down next to her best friend. The two girls sat in silence as they started to eat. It wasn't before long that August and Remus walked inside the Great Hall and sat across from the two girls. It was several minutes later that Sirius Black and James Potter strolled in as if they owned the place.

"Lily? Remus?" Alice Prewett announced her presence as she sat down next to Lily."

"Hey, Alice," Lily welcomed with a smiled.

"Hello," Remus greeted shyly.

"I was wondering if you two could take our patrol tonight or if one of you will patrol with Daniel."

Daniel Thomas was the sixth year Gryffindor prefect. He was a tall, dark-skinned student who loved to draw. He was a very outspoken person who often got into shouting matches with James Potter about who was the best Quidditch team. It was quite annoying to Lily.

"Sure-" Remus stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look of utter disbelief on his partner's face. "I mean it's up to Lily."

"It would mean the world to me, Lily," Alice whined slightly with a desperate look on her face. "I have a date tonight… and I really want to make it."

"I'll patrol with Danny," Lily sighed. "Remus, you can stay in tonight."

"Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!" Alice wrapped her arms around Lily in a friendly embrace. "I love you, Lily! I'll take one of your patrols one night. Oh, Lily, you're the best."

Lily guessed that she was really the only Gryffindor prefect that Alice could ask to take her place. Paris Van Arden would have snorted and walked away. The seventh year prefect, Rachel Bloss, was Paris's best friend and just as snooty. Lily was really the only nice Gryffindor prefect except for Alice. They had to stick together.

"Who's the lucky boy?" Lily asked in curiosity.

"A boy you like to call Frankie at the meetings," Alice whispered.

"You're going out with the Head Boy?" Lily inquired with a smile.

"It's only one date," Alice replied. "He's sneaking me out of the castle and down to Madame Puddifoot's for a romantic rendezvous filled with tea and crumpets."

"That sounds absolutely marvelous," Lily spoke in a wispy tone. "I want a boy to scoop me up in his arms and carry me out to a beautiful night out in the town. You're so lucky, Ali."

"You could have that too, Lily," Alice countered. "You have a boy who's completely and utterly head over heals for you, and you don't even know it. There's a boy who talks constantly about you and how much they adore you. This boy would do anything for you… you just need to open up your eyes and take a good look around you. Fate only takes you to a certain point, Lily, and then it's up to you to make it happen."

Lily would be lying if she said she didn't care whom the mystery boy was. She wanted to know who was "head over heels" for her. Maybe it was Brent? Wouldn't that be fabulous if it were? Well, Lily didn't want to get her hopes up or anything like that. The boy could be somebody she strongly disliked or someone who wasn't compatible at all. It was probably the latter of the two, for no boy had ever even acknowledged that they were completely in love with her… yet.

Time passed quickly and soon Lily found herself standing in Gryffindor Common Room waiting to patrol with Daniel Thomas. The boy soon appeared with a sketchbook in hand. He smiled warmly at the redhead before walking out of the tower. Lily shook her head slightly before following him out.

Well, if Lily thought that patrolling with Daniel was going to be like her recent patrols with Remus, she was deadly wrong. All Daniel did was bury his nose into his sketchbook and draw pictures. He was very good at drawing and walking at the same time, or what the redhead saw of his picture. The picture was of a Quidditch match with several people flying on brooms with those balls. Lily was beginning to think he was a mute unless he was shouting about Quidditch.

"So uh… Ireland is looking pretty good this Quidditch season."

Lily knew very little about Quidditch. Like how fourteen people flew on brooms and there were a couple balls with hoops somehow involved. There were uniforms too, some of which were very nice. That's about all Lily knew about the sport. Oh, and it was utterly dangerous.

"The Quidditch season is over," Daniel replied without looking up. "They were the first ones out of the tournament. Their team sucked this past season. Germany and Italy went to the Quidditch Cup Finals, and Germany won for the first time in twenty years."

"Oh," Lily replied not knowing what to say, "I guess that's good. That Germany finally won."

"Germany only won because Christoff Skeffington became their new Keeper," Daniel continued. "He's a spanking good Keeper at that. Only let about ten Quaffles through. Brilliant that boy is. Their one Chaser, Reinhart Braun, had got in about fifty Quaffles all by himself."

"Is Quidditch all you ever talk about?"

"No," he replied simply.

"What else then?"

"Art," Daniel spoke as he finally looked up at Lily, "and the Dark Arts. I'm fascinated at the fact that wizards and witches can devote their whole lives to learning the blackest of black magic only to harm and kill others. I want to learn all about black magic so that I can defend myself against Death Eaters and bring them in to justice like so many others at Hogwarts are training to do."

"Who is training to do that?" Lily questioned.

"Frank Longbottom has already been accepted into an Auror program at the Ministry of Magic with the acclaimed Alastor Moody. James Potter was already offered a spot in the Auror program once he graduates. Sirius Black wants to train as an Auror as well, but his being accepted will be nothing but a challenge. Alice Prewett is also trying to get in with Auror Moody, but she doesn't think she'll be lucky enough to train with such a brilliant yet crazy wizard."

"Do you want to be an Auror?" Lily asked.

"I don't know yet," Daniel responded. "I don't know what I want to do with my life to be honest with you. How about you?"

"Healer," Lily replied with a smile etched upon her face. "I'm 105 sure I'm training to be a Healer."

"Really?" Daniel asked in surprise. "I would have thought a Charm Breaker or something like that."

"Why would you assume that?" Lily requested as her faith of being a Healer was being put in question.

"Because Flitwick always raves about you and how you're going to be this famous Charms expert."

"Me? Famous? That's like putting fire and gasoline together!" Lily snickered.

The rest of the patrol was nothing exciting. The two talked about classes, careers, and Daniel even taught Lily the essentials of Quidditch. It was truly an enchanting evening, and Lily could see herself becoming good friends with Daniel. The two made their way back to Gryffindor after two and a half hours of patrolling. They bid each other goodnight as they walked their separate ways up to their dormitories.

Lily changed into her nightclothes and flopped down onto her bed. She sighed as she closed her eyes, completely exhausted from today's events. It was a truly hot day and night for it to be the end of September. In two days, it would be October and the heat was unnatural for this time of year at Hogwarts.

Sometimes what you always thought wasn't what you always knew in your heart. Lily had so many conflicting emotions and thoughts that most of them that she considered were right were actually wrong. Whom she thought she loved was really whom she hated. Whom she thought she hated was really whom she loved. The job she thought she was made for was really the wrong job for her. What she considered truths were really elaborate lies formed to hurt her and many others. In an instant, her life would change and her eyes would open. She would decide that she either had to resist or serve. Lily would choose the side of resistance, and her abilities would make her legendary. Her love would carry on even after her death.

Author's Notes – Sorry it's really late. I'm trying to post every week, but that's not working out. My beta never got this chapter back to me, and I was itching to post so I decided to post this now and put up the new beta version later. Please review; I really want to know how you like it. All questions you ask will be answered in my livejournal (EmeraldLakes). The link is in my profile.


	7. Siriusly Lily

Chapter Summary –

"I know Rhia's kind of socially retarded and weird, but she's my friend so just promise me you won't make fun of her," Lily spoke seriously.

"You're a nice friend," Sirius smiled.

"I try."

Chapter Title – Siriusly Lily

_Have you ever had the feeling that maybe people were different than you originally viewed them? Maybe you're perception of people aren't always right or maybe people just change? I never thought that I, Lily Evans, would have ever befriended a boy named Sirius Black. I have, however. I find his company absolutely enchanting. I know that I put him down at times by calling him a creep and annoying and everything in-between, but he dishes it right back at me. It's a bickering relationship of sorts. Brent hates it. He told me yesterday that I shouldn't associate myself with "filth like Sirius". I looked at Brent as if I had never seen anything like him. I know several days ago at Hogsmeade Sirius and Brent seemed to have hated each other, but neither of them should really put me in the middle. I refuse to be in the middle; I told them both that. I like people. I like having friends. I like having a boyfriend. I'm not going to let my friends and my boyfriend clash._

_Now onto the wicked awesome plan that Rhia and I have been plotting for a month… _

"Oh, Lily Evans!"

Somehow hearing her name called out in that annoying tone by Sirius Black always brought a smile to Lily's face. She loved hearing him call to her while she was walking down the hallways. It could be taken as a very creepy stalker notion, but Lily refused to look at it like that. Sirius, in his quirky ways, was just being himself. It was fantastic to know that some people never grow up.

"Oh, Sirius Black!" Lily called back without stopping for the boy to catch up to her.

"Lillian Violet Evans!" Sirius shouted as he appeared next to her.

"How do you know my middle name?"

"Well, it's part of that stalker handbook you gave me earlier," Sirius said absentmindedly. "The one you gave me years ago when we used to play in one of those Muggle sandyboxes as toddlers."

"Oh, that one," Lily spoke with a smile on her face. "I remember that. It's sandbox by the way. Remember when I put that huge spider in your hair?"

"Do I ever?" Sirius sounded like he was a child on Christmas morning. "I vaguely remember screaming like a little girl in terror! It was really scary. You do remember how I got you back, don't you?"

"You mean putting the snake inside my sleeping bag when we were camping outside my house when we were wee children?" Lily's smile grew at ever sentence spoken.

"_Yes_, that was _quite_ divine."

Lily loved her walks to class with Sirius more now than she did at the beginning of the year. Perhaps it was the fact that it had been over a month since their first true encounter. Lily grew comfortable with the boy, and they often joked about everything. They made up factious stories that would be the best thing ever if only they were real. When Sirius was around Lily, he didn't act like the bigheaded prat that picks on the Slytherins. He was kind, hilarious, and polite.

The two walked into Potions together. Sirius even took a seat next to Lily, which didn't bother her at all. August, Remus, and Rhia then came into the classroom together and took their usual seats. Rhia always sat next to Lily. Then August always sat in-between Rhia and Remus. Lily secretly hoped that Remus and August would start to date, for they were beating around the bush too much. James Potter would then come in with Peter Pettigrew tagging behind him as if he were a lost little kid. James always sat down next to Sirius, and Peter would always sit next to James. The order was never mixed up.

Professor Truax had told the class that their Polyjuice Potions would be done in twenty minutes, and then they could turn into their partner. Rhia got her and Lily's potion and brought it over to their desk. The two girls had a clever plan brewing, as they were planning it for a month now. The best friends had made an extra goblet of Polyjuice Potion for later use. Lily had already decided she was going to make herself Sirius Black and try to figure out when Remus was going to ask out August. Rhia, in the meantime, was going to keep Sirius occupied – by any means possible as Rhia had commented – so that he wouldn't ruin their plan.

For now, however, the best friends were going to be each other for the next hour. Too bad they had to stay in the Potions classroom. The goblets were filled with the nasty looking potion. Rhia dropped a couple strands of her hair into Lily's goblet as Lily did the same to Rhia's.

"On the count of three?" Rhia asked as she plugged her nose.

"One. Two. Three," the girls said together.

Lily drained the potion into her mouth. She wanted to vomit to be quite honest. It was the foulest thing she had ever drank in her life. The redhead sat the goblet down onto the desk and clenched her stomach. She could hear her fellow students gagging around her. Rhia even threw up in a bucket beside her.

Lily was about to spew when her skin started to change color. Her pale skin was turning a very tan color. She felt herself grow taller, which caused her to almost fall down. She kept steady somehow. Lily felt completely different, especially when she looked down to find herself big breasted. The prefect looked up to see her best friend looking exactly like her!

"Merlin, Lily, you taste really nasty," Rhia spoke softly. "You're really short and skinny, how the hell do you do it?"

"Shut up," Lily said playfully.

"Hello, my lovely flower," a familiar voice said behind her.

Lily turned around to see James Potter standing there wiggling his eyebrows like a bloody idiot. Lily was about to say something quite rude when the boy covered the prefect's mouth. He smiled wickedly at her and said, "It's me, Sirius. Remember?"

Brown eyes drifted to where James Potter was standing as Sirius Black. Oh, this was so confusing. James was talking to Peter – who was really Remus. Lily turned her attention back to Sirius with a small smile playing on her lips. She had never been so close to James's body before. It was slightly unnerving, for she could feel his breath tickle her neck. Only it really wasn't James's breath; it was Sirius's.

"I wasn't going to yell," Lily lied.

"You _always_ yell," Sirius retorted. "Maybe it's just from hanging around Rhia Cromwell too much."

"I know Rhia's kind of socially retarded and weird, but she's my friend so just promise me you won't make fun of her," Lily spoke seriously.

"You're a nice friend," Sirius smiled.

"I try."

"Sirius," Rhia – with red hair and all – spoke up as she stood next to Lily, "would you meet me at say eight o'clock in the Owlery?"

Oh, Rhia put a look on her face that made her look absolutely whore-ish. Oh, why did Rhia have to look like that when she took Lily's appearance? The prefect flinched at the sight of the look as she watched Sirius with hope.

"Uh, sure," Sirius said with a small smile.

"You are marvelous, Sirius Black," Rhia declared as she grabbed her best friend's arm and pulled her away.

"You are evil," Lily whispered.

"_We_ are _both_ evil," Rhia corrected. "I didn't even have to offer you any cookies either."

"What? I'm only in this for the cookies!"

"After calling me socially retarded and weird, you think I'd still give you cookies?" Rhia asked condescendingly.

Less than an hour later, the two girls were back to normal as well as the rest of the class. Lily was happy to be back to her normal self. She loved her fire-red hair and emerald eyes. She didn't love her shortness, but you can't like everything about yourself. Lily's experience out of her body was a good one. She finally figured out that being Lily Violet Evans was the best thing in the whole world.

It was dinnertime when the two best friends walked into the Great Hall. They made a point to walk directly behind Sirius. Rhia reached out, grabbed a stray hair from his shoulder, and continued walking. They smiled at each other as Lily took a seat next to Sirius and Rhia next to Lily. The dark-haired girl waved the black hair in the air briefly before slipping it into a container and then sliding it into her pocket.

Day slowly turned into night. It was 7:45, and the two girls new they had to act quickly. Rhia had snuck up to the 'marauders' dormitory and borrowed a pair of Sirius's knickers and a top. She had dashed back to her dormitory and handed the clothes to Lily.

"Take off your bra," Rhia instructed. "I highly doubt Sirius wears a bra."

So Lily had changed everything, she was now in Sirius's huge clothing. She had even put on a pair of his boxers. Everything was falling off her. With the hair in the goblet of Polyjuice, Lily drained the contents. The horrible feeling that Lily had experienced earlier in the day was happening again. She felt herself grow taller and her hair shortened and grew darker. It was a sudden thought that filled Lily's head that she never thought of before. Sirius was a _boy_ with _boy parts_. Oh, it was too late to do anything about it.

"How's it feel to have a _you-know_?" Rhia asked with a smile planted on her face.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Lily commented. "Why did I agree to do this?"

"It's five before eight. I'm going to go meet the real Sirius," Rhia picked up a cardigan from her bed. "Can I see _it_ before I go?"

"NO!" Lily scouted disgusted, "I don't even want to think about _it_ being there!"

"Talk more manly, Lily," Rhia remarked. "You sound like a girl."

With that, Rhia walked smugly out of the girls' dormitory. Lily crossed her arms over her chest. She felt so hairy. The prefect pushed those thoughts aside and made her way to the 'marauders' dormitory. Luckily, nobody saw her except for two second year girls, who practically drooled. Ew.

Lily felt incredibly weird as a boy. She was very glad that she was going to be a girl again in less than an hour. So what if once a month, she had horrible cramps while being bloated and had to deal with bleeding for a week? She would much rather have that right now than be a boy at this moment.

Lily took a deep breath before she opened the dormitory. Remus Lupin was lying on his bed with a book in hand. Peter Pettigrew was eating chocolate with about fifty wrappers surrounding him. James Potter was flipping through a Quidditch magazine. Lily stared at the room with repulsion. It was the messiest room ever! The only clean spot was around Remus's bed. He must be the neat one.

"I thought you were meeting with Rhia, Padfoot," James said as he stared at Lily.

Padfoot? Oh, right. That was her queue to say something. Lily never quite understood why the four 'marauders' called each other by those ridiculous names. She couldn't really remember them to be honest. She didn't know what to call them, but maybe she would remember?

"Uh, in a little bit," Lily spoke in a deep voice, which caused all three boys to look at her oddly.

"What's wrong with your voice, Paddy?" Peter asked curiously.

"Lemme guess, Snivellus hexed you?" James inquired with a sneer.

"You betcha," Lily replied as she regretted doing this every moment that passed. "That little… _bastard_."

Okay, so Lily's never actually said the 'B' word before, but Sirius Black had a really bad mouth when he's angry. Who was Snivellus? She's heard them use that name before but to whom? It had to be a Slytherin. Maybe it was Severus Snape? The boys always took pleasure in humiliating him in front of crowds of people. Oh, that made Lily mad. Why did they have to be so malicious?

"What spell, Padfoot?" Remus asked.

"I – uh don't really know," Lily thought quickly. "I just know it screwed up my effing voice."

So Sirius Black likes the words fuck, fucking, and phrases using any form of the word fuck when he was livid. Lily had never said any of those words and/or phrases before, and she didn't really want to start now. She used an alternative version of the 'F' word in hopes that the 'marauders' wouldn't notice. Remus and James did, Peter didn't. Maybe she should say the word so they don't get suspicious.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?"

Oh, Lily felt dirty. Sure, she's said shit, damn, and hell, but never ever used the more 'horrible' swear words before now.

"He thinks he's Snivellus," Peter replied. He _was_ a bit dim wasn't he?

"When are you going to ask out Cromwell?" asked James.

What? Oh, this was perfect. Sirius liked Rhia! Rhia liked Sirius! This was really two for one wasn't it? Spectacular!

"Whenever Remus is going to ask out August," Lily replied coolly.

"August wouldn't want two werewolves on her plate," Remus replied with a mistrustful look. "One's enough."

Two werewolves? August knew another werewolf? How in the world did she not know that? Lily was her friend, a good friend. She should knew everything about her friend's life. She knew everything about Rhia – or so she hoped. This was the turning point; this was when she realized that she didn't know her friends like she thought she did.

"You never know until you ask," Lily tried to sound as though the last bit of information didn't faze her.

"Rejection would mean embarrassment."

"If everything is embarrassing, then you're never going to have any fun," Lily reasoned.

"How did you become so wise, Padfoot?" James directed his attention to Lily.

"By thinking before acting," Lily spoke softly as she stared at the messy-haired boy. "I got to go meet Rhia."

"Have fun!" Peter chanted.

The other two boys bid adieu to their friend – or whom they thought was there friend. Lily made her way down to the Common Room. Several girls swooned when they saw the rugged good looks of Sirius Black. When the deed was done, Lily was to meet Rhia in the kitchens. Once outside of Gryffindor Tower, Lily burst out running to the kitchens.

Lily arrived utterly exhausted. She tickled the painting, stepped inside, and asked the house elves for a glass of something cold. Well, perhaps that was the wrong thing to say. She had about fifty different glasses in front of her within a minute of everything cold possible. The teenager grabbed a glass of iced tea and drained the contents.

The kitchen door burst opened to reveal a frazzled Rhiannon Cromwell. The dark-haired girl looked frantically around the room. She sighed heavily when she saw her best friend sitting at a table looking exactly like Sirius Black.

"You're here!" Rhia exclaimed. "Sirius wasn't staying! He said he needed to talk to James about something and left! I was so worried you'd still be with James and the others as Sirius."

"Well, I wasn't doing a good Sirius Black impersonation, so I cut out early."

"Do you think they know?"

"That Lily Evans Polyjuiced herself as their fellow 'marauder'?" Lily inquired before breaking out into a smile. "They wouldn't dare think a girl would become a boy. They like to think he was cursed by a boy named Snivellus, and that's why their friend was acting and talking weird."

"You are so lucky, girl."

Within the next ten minutes, Lily slowly started changing back to her original self. She shrunk and became feminine. She was no longer Sirius Black. She was Lily Evans in Sirius Black's clothes. The redhead looked down at her body only to look up and smile at Rhia.

"I'm a proud owner of a vagina once more!"

The two girls burst out laughing. The house elves looked slightly shocked to see a boy become a girl. They seemed disturbed by the fact that a skinny redhead was dancing around with her best friend in a boy's clothes. The best friends didn't care, however. They were dancing out of triumph and happiness. Their plan had succeeded.

They talked about what each of them did. Lily felt badly about lying to her best friend about exactly what happened. She didn't know how well Rhia would take to the fact of Remus being a werewolf, so she just said that Remus was afraid of rejection. The redhead talked about how James had asked when Sirius was going to ask out Rhia. At this, Rhia screamed and jumped onto a kitchen table. The house elves, who was getting used to their strange antics, decided to ignore it. Rhia then went into full detail about how she had told Sirius that she heard what he said about her being a whore; and how he replied, he didn't mean it. The two had hugged and apologized. Rhia even told how Sirius had given her a quick peck on both cheeks before departing.

Once it was way past curfew, the two girls sneakily made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. They made it, and laughed as they walked up the stairs to their dormitory. They tried to stifle their giggling when they stepped inside their dorm. Every one was sleeping. Lily quickly changed into girl clothes and walked over towards Rhia. The two locked hands and did a little dance. Neither knew exactly why they were so happy, but they were.

"I absolutely don't know how I'll go to sleep tonight," Lily commented.

"Me either."

"Want to go loiter in the corridors?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

The two girls ventured out into the corridors at about eleven o'clock. This was the time that the prefects patrolling were going back to their dorms. This was the time that the teachers start to call it a night. It was the perfect time to wander the hallways, for no one but Mr. Filch was really out to find stray students. The best friends made their way to the Trophy Case to look at trophies for they didn't know what else to do.

"'Awarded to Nathaniel Cromwell for services to the school'," Lily read. "What did you father do?"

"I didn't know he ever received an award like that to be honest," Rhia replied. "I know he received a Head Boy award, but that's all."

"Look at all the Quidditch awards Black and Potter have."

There were three Quidditch Championship awards honoring the Gryffindor Quidditch Team for the past three years. Their names shined on the golden plaques. A name caught Lily's eyes above the Quidditch awards. There was an award to Thomas Riddle for services to the school, dating back to the 1942-1943 school year. Lily felt a strong pull to the name, as if her fate was intertwined with his. In the pit of her stomach was a feeling of hatred. She had never felt like this before in her life.

"You'll have three awards over there," Rhia commented to Lily.

"For what?" Lily tore her eyes away from the name she was staring at.

"Two prefect awards and a Head Girl award."

"Me? Head Girl?" inquired Lily. "That would be… horrible! I'd ruin the school! I'm no leader."

"You are a natural born leader, Lily, you just like to be difficult."

"Have you heard what _he's_ doing, Albus?"

The best friends looked at each other when they heard Professor McGonagall's voice ring through the corridor. Lily and Rhia ran down the trophy hallway until they reached a door. Rhia grasped the bronze doorknob, and the two girls quickly hid inside. The girls sat down on the floor and listened to the conversation at hand.

"I believe that Bartemius feels he is doing the right thing," Dumbledore's voice was cold.

"You don't believe that!"

"No, I daresay I don't believe what Bartemius is doing is right. He is the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, however."

"You need to talk some sense into him!" McGonagall protested. "You're the only one who could get through to him! People say it'll be in the Daily Prophet by morning!"

"Bartemius will not listen to my reasoning. He is interested in only one thing. I fear it will be his demise."

"Whatever could he want that would drive him to authorize the usage of Unforgivable Curses to Aurors?"

"Power, Minerva," Dumbledore's voice was sad and strained. "Bartemius Crouch wants nothing more than to be the Minister of Magic, that I am sure of. I know Bartemius; I've taught him all he knows about Transfiguration. I watched him grow into the man he has become. He was power hungry while walking these walls, and he still is."

"Well, then talk to the Head Auror! I'm sure he disapproves."

"I do not know the Head Auror personally, Minerva. James Potter's father was the Head Auror before the accident. If Richard Potter was still Head Auror, then I know this would not be allowed. Richard was never one to sink to such lows. He would never allow his men to perform curses that are making Death Eaters infamous."

Lily turned towards Rhia with a curious look on her face. James's father was in an accident? He was Head Auror? Dumbledore personally knew James's family? Rhia didn't seem fazed by any of this information. It was like she knew exactly what the heads of the school were talking about. It was irritating. Why did everyone know everything but Lily? It wasn't fair. It was stupid.

"Oh, James Potter, the poor boy. I can't even imagine what he's been going through since that night a couple years ago."

"Von said he was devastated when Beau died and Richard was hospitalized. She told me that James would just sit in his father's hospital bed waiting day in and day out. Apparently, James would just hold his father's hand, hoping that Richard would be all right and somehow Beau would come back to life. Beau was James's life. I never saw two brothers who absolutely adored each other. Richard was often gone due to his duties at work, making Beau a second father to James."

"I never had the privilege of teaching Beau Potter. I hope he wasn't as much trouble as his brother," McGonagall spoke sadly as she blew her nose.

"Oh, Beau got into his fair amount of trouble as a student. Not as much as James does now with Sirius Black, but enough to land him in several detentions every few months."

"The Black family is nothing but trouble, Albus."

"You mustn't wait for the Black children to make a mistake. Some will, I have no doubt. You mustn't worry about Sirius though. Von and Richard would never allow anyone into their home that they thought would become dark."

"Well, Richard hired Creighton Vanderveer as an Auror! He made Vanderveer his equal! His partner! Look what happened! I can't even begin to fathom why you are allowing Vanderveer to teach here! I heard he was tormenting James the first day the fifth year Gryffindors had him!"

"I am well aware of what Creighton his capable of, Minerva," Dumbledore snapped. "The only thing Creighton could be charged for is lack of bravery in a battle. I would rather have him here to give his expertise than out fighting to make the same mistake he made few years ago."

"And Hayden Truax? Some say he is a Death Eater."

"I know exactly what Hayden is doing. You need not worry about that either, Minerva. I say we both need some rest."

Lily listened as the two professors walked down the corridor and out of earshot. Rhia opened the door to the room they were hiding in and looked both ways. She motioned that it was clear. The redhead followed her friend out of the room. Did she dare ask Rhia what the professors were talking about? Would she get a straight answer? Lily highly doubted it. When it came to the Dark Lord and Death Eaters, Rhia wanted nothing to do about it. Why would she start now? Lily would find out one way or another, that was a given. Lily was like a cat; her curiosity wouldn't stop until she died.

Lily never knew her professors' pasts and lives until she dug into them. She would never know how traumatized James Potter was after a mistake one Auror made. She never knew that the headmaster knew more about his students than anyone else. She never knew that battling Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort could be so bloodcurdling. She never knew why one Wizard would control innocents to do his bidding. She never knew that good Wizards and Witches joined the Dark Lord because they were afraid of death. She never knew that Lord Voldemort would get followers such as the giants. She never knew Lord Voldemort was hunting out vampires, goblins, and even werewolves to join his fight. It was unfeasible to the one redheaded girl who would aid in the destruction of the evilest Wizard to ever live. Why would anyone do such horrid things for power and fear? Perhaps that would be the thought that crossed Lily Evan's mind when she will die. Perhaps she was thinking of her husband and son. That's what many would think, but in reality, Lily Evans would be smiling when she died. She would smile in triumph, for she knew she had saved her son due to ancient magic she had studied in her field of profession. She knew of the sacrifice, and she knew what would happen to Lord Voldemort. Oh, but Lily Evans is only fifteen years old and such thoughts would never fill her mind at such a young age. No, the fifteen-year-old Lily Evans was concerned about her friends' relationships, her love life, her upcoming O.W.L.'s, and was only a little concerned about Lord Voldemort at the time. She was a teenager after all, and teenagers didn't indulge themselves in grown-up problems until they are faced with it.

Author's Notes – I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. I thought I needed a funny chapter because of the heaviness of the last part of this chapter. Please leave your reviews! I'm looking forward to reading them. Remember, I'll answer any questions you may have on my livejournal.


	8. Expecto Patronus

Chapter Summary –

"For once, can't you just wake up early, Lily?" August whispered. "That way you won't be late."

"At least I have a optimistic outlook about my negative behavior," Lily replied as she placed her Arithmancy book on the desk.

"You're hopeless sometimes."

"Oh, gee thanks. I pick real winners as friends."

Chapter Title – Expecto Patronus

_If anyone called me nosy, I would have to agree with them. If someone said I was impulsive, well, I would have to agree with that too. They say curiosity killed the cat; and if I were a cat, I would have probably already used up almost all of my nine lives by now. I like to know everything that is going on. I've always been like that. It's a trait of my father's. Daddy is a lawyer after all, a good lawyer who tells the truth to help innocent people. I don't know why I'm so concerned about what happened with James Potter's family. The way McGonagall and Dumbledore talked about it, it was if it was the most heartbreaking thing imaginable._

_I know I talk a lot about how I hate Petunia and wish she was gone, but in reality, I love my sister. She's still my family. Petunia and I used to be the best of friends. I miss that. I miss how we used to stay up late at night and read stories. I miss how we would take family vacations around Europe. We don't do that anymore because Petunia and I can't see eye to eye. My parents hate the bickering and fighting. They hate how their daughters were torn apart._

_I would say it was jealously on Petunia's part. I know I'd be jealous if she was a witch and I wasn't. It's natural, I guess. I just wish we could sit and talk like we used to. I wish she would read me a story, or we would run around outside our house to the local ice cream parlor. Why does this have to be so hard?_

Lily closed her journal with a frown etched upon her face. She slipped the book under her pillow and emerged from behind the curtains around her bed. Green eyes glanced over at the clock on her nightstand. Bugger. In five minutes, she was supposed to be at a prefect meeting. Oh, well. If she was late, she was late. Lily could really care less.

Lily grabbed a sweater from the chair in the corner of the room and ran down the stairs. There stood the wolf boy. Remus – who was never late for anything ever – was going to be late to a prefect meeting just to walk with Lily. Oh, that was a great feeling.

"Remy!" Lily shouted as she skipped over towards her partner. "You're lovely to be waiting for me."

"I'd rather walk with a friend than walk by myself."

That one little statement made a smile spread across the redhead's features. The wolf boy was warming up to her increasingly. The conversation the two had had the patrol after the full moon had drawn them closer. She knew his secret that he tried so hard to keep. Therefore, Lily only felt obligated that she had to share a secret with him. Only the redhead really didn't have any secrets to share.

The two prefects walked together to the prefect room for their meeting. They dawdled leisurely as they went. They joked and laughed. Remus – who had really only given small chuckles and smiles when they first met – was now laughing fully and smiling widely. It was a good feeling that Lily had never experienced before. The two prefects were a good twenty minutes late for the prefect meeting. They walked in during one of Frankie Longbottom's long speeches. He stopped when he heard the door open.

"Sorry," Lily spoke softly.

Brent was sitting in-between Guinevere Haswell and Oxford Stover. Lily was slightly taken aback by this. Why wouldn't he have saved a seat for her? There were two free seats next to each other by the head boy and Daniel Thomas. Lily sat down next to Frank as Remus took the seat next to Daniel.

Frank started talking again, doing a little recap on what the Gryffindor prefects had missed. Apparently, the prefects always organized the Halloween celebration. They were deciding on who was making the decorations and who would put them up as well as what kind of food would be survived at the feast. It was then that an idea struck the redhead like a ton of bricks. Oh, this would be fun.

"Frankie," Lily interrupted the Head Boy who was still speaking, "I have an idea."

Lily launched her thoughts to the rest of the prefects. The redhead said that there was a Muggle tradition on Halloween to dress up in costumes. She explained how people dressed up so that the evil spirits of the world wouldn't be able to recognize humans and steal their souls. At least that was the story that her mother had told Petunia and Lily when they were younger.

The Muggleborns in the room seemed excited. They were whispering to one another with smiles on their faces. The Slytherins seemed extremely displeased with this turn of events. Except one Slytherin, Jacqueline Blaisdale, the most non-Slytherinish person in the history of Slytherin house. She was a sixth year with a long locks of blonde hair. Her deep blue eyes danced with excitement at Lily's proposal.

"We dress up in costumes, with masks so no one knows whom he or she is with during the night. There can be just a buffet bar where people can get food whenever they want. We can take away the house tables and have just round tables instead that can seat about ten people or so at them," Lily spoke with excitement as she leaned forward. "There can be dancing and lots of candy. The teachers can dress up too if they want. Then at the end of the night, everyone will take off their masks and see who they were hanging out with the whole night."

"Kinda like a Masquerade Party?" Megan Gallagher, a seventh year Ravenclaw prefect, asked.

"Exactly! That way discriminations between houses won't interfere in a night of fun."

"Discriminations between houses, Evans?" Paris Van Arden questioned in a haughty way.

"You can't tell me that you don't notice the chauvinism between the houses –Gryffindors and Slytherins especially. Some students don't get along with the other houses at all because they have biased ideas," Lily explained. "If everyone was wearing a mask, then everyone wouldn't judge others based on house because, well, they wouldn't know what houses everyone belongs to. You just might see a side of someone that you never expected."

"I like it," Frank smiled. "Who's all in for it?"

Almost everyone raised his or her hand high into the air, which made Lily feel like she could actually do something useful as a prefect. The bad part of her whole plan was the fact that there was less than three weeks until Halloween. She hoped they could all pull it off. She wanted it to be a Halloween party, not a Halloween dance. Lily made sure she got her point across at that. There could be dancing, but the main focus was the partying.

The morning after the prefect meeting brought upon classes, which meant Herbology, Arithmancy, and later that night Astrology. Lily loved her Arithmancy and Astrology classes, but Herbology? She hated that class with a fiery passion. She secretly hoped she would fail the Herbology O.W.L. so she would never have to take that stupid class ever again.

Lily got up with less than twenty minutes until class started. The redhead rushed around her dormitory looking for her uniform and books. Ten minutes later, with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, her clothes twisted on her thin frame, and her tie dangling untied around her neck, she was ready to go. Her books, papers, and everything else were falling out of her satchel, so she quickly piled them in.

"I honestly don't understand how you can always be so late," Rhia commented.

"I'm not late! I'm just rushed!"

"Maybe if you didn't sleep in-"

"Bugger off!"

"Lily!" Rhia sounded slightly offended.

"You know what? I think due to lack of interest, today should just be cancelled."

"You always say that. Now, come on!"

Rhia and Lily bolted out of Gryffindor Tower. They had to get to the third floor, and they were up on the eighth floor. The girls did everything they could to get to Arithmancy on time. They tackled the stairs two at a time. They never once stopped running. When they were still officially eight minutes late, they arrived in Arithmancy out of breath. Everyone in the room looked at the best friends oddly before turning back to the professor. August shot them an aggravated look. The two girls smiled back apologetically and took seats next to their German friend.

"For once, can't you just wake up early, Lily?" August whispered. "That way you won't be late."

"At least I have a optimistic outlook about my negative behavior," Lily replied as she placed her Arithmancy book on the desk.

"You're hopeless sometimes."

"Oh, gee thanks. I pick real winners as friends."

Classes passed quickly and before Lily knew it, it was lunchtime. The redheaded prefect wasn't hungry at all, despite the fact that she hadn't eaten since dinner yesterday. Lily wanted to resolve something that had been bugging her since the beginning of the school year. The prefect told her friends to go to lunch without her. She dashed through the corridors in hopes of catching a certain professor before he went off to lunch. Lily reached the Charms classroom and busted through the door.

Professor Flitwick was talking to Frank Longbottom about something. When Lily came flying through the door, the two people looked at her mildly interested. The redhead blushed crimson before backing up out of the classroom, while saying she would wait outside until they finished. Outside the classroom, Lily banged the back of her head against the stone wall. Only a couple minutes passed before Frank came strolling out of Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"You're up," Frank spoke with a smile dancing on his face.

Lily walked into the classroom to see Professor Flitwick looking engrossed with the idea that the redhead had graced him with her presence. Lily walked up to the front of the room and took a seat across from the short professor. He looked at her intently, waiting for her to say something. Lily, on the other hand, was waiting for her professor to start. After a minute or so, Lily finally broke the silence.

"Professor," she started. "I came here to apologize for my behavior at the beginning of the year."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I feel that I was utterly out of line speaking to you like that."

"I must say I've never been disappointed with you until that little debacle," Professor Flitwick spoke calmly. "I never want you to think you can never accomplish something, because, Lily, you of all people can change the world. There is no doubt in my mind that you won't."

"Thank-you, Professor," Lily said softly for she didn't dare to disagree.

"Did you see that article in 'Charmed Chronicles' about the Entrail-Expelling Curse?"

"Oh, yes, but did they really have to show those disgusting pictures?"

It felt good to talk about the charms and hexes featured in 'Charmed Chronicles' again. No one else read the magazine or even cared about it. The little Charms professor could talk days on end about the charms featured, and he often did with Lily.

"I suppose that it was efficient, since I've never cast the curse before. Now, I know how disgusting it actually would be to see if performed in person."

Lily laughed, a smile spreading across her face. She reached into her bag and pulled out the latest issue of 'Charmed Chronicles'. The redhead placed it in front of the eccentric professor. Her long fingers flipped through the pages until she came across the charm she wanted to ask about. It was on page twenty-two, and it had a five page spread about the one charm.

"The Patronus," Lily declared. "I want to know how to conjure a Patronus."

"Lily, my dear, the Patronus is a very difficult charm to master. Even full-grown Wizards can't conjure a corporeal Patronus."

"Can you?"

"Yes, of course, I can," the small professor squeaked. "Mine isn't nearly as powerful as others though."

"Can you teach me?"

"Lily, you haven't the use for a charm like this."

"It looks wicked cool though," Lily said with a grin.

There were several pictures of a corporeal Patronus. Some of them were of dogs, bears, eagles, and even a phoenix. Lily wanted to know what her animal protector was. Maybe it could be something that was like her, a kitten perhaps? She loved cats; they were adorable. Dogs were adorable as well, but they were too much trouble in Lily's eyes.

"I find it awfully peculiar that you are the fourth student who has asked me to aid them in casting a corporeal Patronus."

Lily stared slightly at her professor in a mixture of shock and excitement. If there were other students who wanted to learn, then he would most likely offer lessons. Why would three other students be interested in it though? How many times in your life would you actually cast a Patronus?

"Teach us?" Lily asked sweetly.

"I'll send a message around to meet me in this classroom at seven," Professor Flitwick gave in.

"Professor, you are absolutely the best teacher in this school," Lily said with a smile as she grabbed her magazine to stuff into her bag. "Honestly, you were always my favorite teacher, but just knowing that you could give up part of your night to help us students out in extracurricular activities, amazing!"

The day seemed to pass at an excruciating slow pace. Lily was so excited to learn one of the most complex charms that the redhead could barely keep her excitement bottled. The prefect was anxious to know which students were actually going. Her money was on a couple Ravenclaws, since they were crazy mad about schoolwork. Perhaps, the scrumptious Brent would be there learning as well. That would be divine. Lily was betting Guinevere would be there – hands down really. She was always looking for something new to learn. Crazy Ravenclaws.

Seven o'clock was slowing rolling in. Lily got up from her seat in the Gryffindor common room and piled her books into her bag. August and Rhia gave her a perplexed look in which Lily merely smiled at. The redhead ambled out of Gryffindor Tower with a content look on her face. She could be mysterious if she wanted to too. With her bag hanging on her right shoulder, Lily dug through the bag trying to locate a hair tie to put her hair up in. Once she located one, the redhead showed off her multitasking skills of walking and fixing her hair at the same time.

Lily walked into the Charms classroom to see two people she least expected to be there. Sirius Black smirked with a look of approval crossing his face. James Potter looked mildly shocked, but pleasantly surprised to see the redhead grace her presence. Remus Lupin didn't seem fazed by the fact Lily was there. It was as if the boy half anticipated her to come. Professor Flitwick clapped his tiny hands together and instructed Lily to come closer. He explained how he asked the boys to come early so that they could make the middle of the room bare, which it was.

"Why in the world do _you_ want to learn this charm?" Lily asked Sirius. "I would say that your mind wouldn't have the capacity to handle such information."

"Are you calling me dense, Poppet?" Sirius inquired with eyebrows wiggling in a disturbing way.

"Maybe."

"That cut me deep. I am _not_ dense!" Sirius stressed. "It's called mentally challenged! Get it right!"

"Yes, I'm sure it is."

"Lily," Sirius whined, "why are you smiling?"

"Because it confuses people who are dense like you."

"Argh!" Sirius touched his heart tenderly. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight, because my feeling have been so badly charred by you."

"I want you all to think of the happiest you have ever been!" Professor Flitwick announced as he stood on several very thick books.

Lily turned away from Sirius and thought about the happiest she had ever been. Well, any memory with Petunia in it certainly was out. Perhaps when Lily got her Hogwarts letter, it thrilled her tremendously. On the other hand, when her father took her to a lawyer bouquet when she was ten was amazing. She had been truly happy when her father danced with her and spun her around. He kept calling her his 'Emerald Princess'. That would be the memory Lily would use.

"Everyone ready?" Professor Flitwick looked at the four Gryffindors.

Lily looked at Remus, who seemed quite confident that he was going to produce a Patronus. Potter looked uncertain if he had picked the right memory. Sirius – the poor kid – looked defeated. It was as if the teenager couldn't think of a single good memory to conjure a Patronus. Professor Flitwick then announced to say the incantation, 'Expecto Patronus' while concentrating on the happy memory. That was easier said then done.

Lily uttered the spell and tried to keep her happy memory, but only a puff of white smoke emitted from her wand. Potter got the same puff of smoke. Nothing came out of Sirius's wand. Remus – oh, smart, amazing Remy – had gotten a mist with four legs. He was just that utterly intelligent and astonishing like that.

"Remus, concentrate more on your memory!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "James and Lily, pick a happier memory! You have the idea! Sirius… I want you to really concentrate on the happiest memory you can think of!"

"Easier said than done," Sirius muttered, "like I have a fantastic memory that would actually work."

"Just think of me, Sirius, and you'll have a Patronus in no time," Lily whispered into the boy's ear.

Sirius looked at her with one of his goofy smiles. He fingered his wand in his hand as he watched her every move. He watched the redhead as she tried to find another memory. Lily searched through her short life trying to find a happier memory. When she became a witch, that was certainly a happy memory! It was then that Professor Flitwick told them to attempt it again. In perfect succession, the four Gryffindors uttered the words, "Expecto Patronus!"

Remus's wand emitting four legs and a tail this time. Out of James's wand was simply a tail in a swirl of mist. Lily still had her pathetic whirly bit of smoke. Sirius still had nothing. _At least I'm not the worst one_, Lily thought as she looked at her dark-haired friend. His features were contorted in frustration. Any moment now, 'F' bombs would be dropping from Sirius's mouth.

"Stupid fucker," Sirius started. "Oy! Moony, how the bloody hell do you do this?"

"Concentrate, Sirius," the werewolf replied simply.

"Oy, Poppet, how the fuck do you do this?" Sirius turned towards Lily.

"Concentrate," Lily couldn't help but reply with a smile.

"Do you think you're funny or something?"

Oh, he was irritated.

"It's the 'or something' that I think I am actually."

One, two, three, and four more times they attempted the spell before Professor Flitwick called it quits. Lily felt like she could fall over. It was as if all of her magic had been slowly drained from her body. All she got out of it was a stupid wisp of silver smoke and nothing else. She wanted to lie down on the classroom floor and fall asleep forever. Remus seemed equally as exhausted. His eyes were dropping and his shoulders were slumped forward. At least he was half way to conjuring a real Patronus. Every time he tried the spell, he had gotten legs and a tail in a whirl of smoke. James Potter seemed angry that he hadn't completed the spell. He was muttering about stupid tails as the four Gryffindors left the Charms room. Sirius Black was nothing more then frustrated, mad, and upset all at the same time. Nothing had emitted from his wand at all. Lily wouldn't be surprised if Sirius had punched a wall in. He didn't though.

Sirius and James were walking briskly down the corridors and talking in hushed tones. Lily had leisurely walked behind them with Remus at her side. The redhead rested her head on the boy's frail shoulder as they walked. Lily really didn't want to go to Astrology tonight so she voiced her thoughts.

"You can't skive off class," Remus had reasoned.

"Does it look like I really care?"

"You were overcharging the spell."

"What?" Lily questioned as she lifted her head.

"You were overcharging the spell," Remus repeated.

"How?"

"Well, you were putting too much magical energy on the actually incantation and straining yourself with the memory. I was doing the exact same thing. That's why we feel like we're dead. James and Sirius didn't overcharge it, so they feel fine. You and James practically got to the same point of the spell – even though James got a little farther – but you should essentially have the same energy he has, but you don't."

"How did you become so smart?" Lily asked.

"I read a lot?"

Lily laughed as a full smile appeared on her face. Yes, it must have been books. August and Remus both read like there was no tomorrow and both were incredibly bright. The two prefects reached Gryffindor Tower and loitered in the common room. Lily had announced she was going to skip Astrology for today due to her lack of energy. Remus had then commented he would catch her up, because he had to go.

"You don't_ have_ to," Lily stressed.

"I'm going to be missing classes in a couple weeks," Remus replied with a miserable look on his face. "I can't be behind."

"Oh."

Lily felt like an idiot for not remembering about the full moon. Lily gave an apologetic smile before she gave him a hug goodnight. The redhead turned and walked up to her dormitory, dragging her bag behind her. She walked towards her bed and collapsed down upon it. Lily didn't even bother to change into her pajamas; she was too tired. Within a minute, Lily had fallen asleep.

Lily only wanted to learn how to conjure a Patronus because it 'looked absolutely wicked'. She didn't know that when she graduated Hogwarts she would be using the spell quite a lot. The one memory that Lily needed to conjure her Patronus hadn't even happened yet, so her months of practice would be futile. Her friendship with two of the 'marauders' would lead to her slow paced friendship with James Potter. Her feelings would grow for the messy-haired boy and her hatred for him would turn into love. With her friendship with the boys would falter her friendship with Rhia and August. That, however, wasn't for years to come.

Author's Notes – I hope you enjoyed the new installment! Please review and tell me your comments!


	9. Mirages Vs Marauders

Chapter Summary –

"Take a seat next to the fireplace, my ladies and fellow gents," Sirius walked over towards a scarlet loveseat and sat down.

"What is this place?" Lily asked in wonderment as she took a seat in a cozy mustard-colored chair.

"The Room of Requirements," Peter piped up as he took a seat in a green-colored chair.

Chapter Title – Mirages versus Marauders

_Patronus lessons suck. Two lessons later, and I still can't get past that stupid mist. Remus almost has the Patronus. It's not clear exactly what animal it is yet, but as soon as he gets it 100 corporeal then everyone will know what it is. Potter seems to be getting worse at his Patronus. He had a tail, but now he's back to a swirl of mist like me. Poor Sirius. He still can't get even a small amount of silver smoke to emit from his wand. He needs to get several extraordinary memories. _

_The Headmaster had approved the Halloween festivities and now it was time to figure out exactly what was going to be done. I was placed in a group with Remy, Frankie, and Alice to organize the decorations and then hang them. The event is to take place in the Great Hall like usual, but the decorations can't be hung until Halloween day. This means that all prefects have to skip the Hogsmeade weekend. Oh, joys. Joys beyond joys. Just what I want to be doing! Note my sarcasm._

"It isn't as though it's_ that_ hard, Peter," Sirius Black sounded irritated.

Lily's pen was hovering over her journal as her ears perked up to the conversation. What wasn't that hard? Lily slouched her body down farther in the comfy chair by the fireplace so that the boys wouldn't see her in the room. They were walking down the stairs into the common room.

"You and James are smarter than me! I just need some more practice!" Peter protested.

"Listen," James's voice filled the room. "Sirius and I aren't going to stick around here and help you tonight. We'll go over it tomorrow with you; but right now, Sirius and I can transform. We're going to keep Remus company."

"You guys went without me last month!" Peter whined in an annoying tone.

"We _know_, Peter," Sirius stressed, " but Remus needs us more than you do right now. His bloody bones and limbs are cracking and breaking right now! He's in a lot of pain, and he needs company before he starts hurting himself."

Lily slouched down farther into the chair and gripped her journal closely to her chest. _Oh, God, they're talking about his transformations. They're going to go see Remus and get themselves killed!_ Lily thought frantically. She couldn't let them! They would die or get bitten! If that happened, then Remus was either killed or disposed of in Azkaban for the rest of his life.

"It wasn't fair that you two worked on the Animagus transformation over the summer without me!" Peter complained.

Animagus? They were turning into animals? Were the idiots? Did they even know how much trouble they could get into? Did they know that they could die? God, she knew that Potter and Black were idiots! How could Remus even allow them to think about attempting it without adult supervision? _Should have suspected something like that from Black and Potter_, Lily thought, _so bloody stupid._

"I owled you at least five times, Peter!" James snapped. "I never got one reply. Remus replied the next day, and Sirius didn't even reply; he just showed up!"

"I- I was busy!" Peter cried in protest.

"Well, that isn't our problem now is it, Petey?" Sirius spoke snidely.

"Come on!" James said impatiently. "Prongs is ready to come out! Moony is waiting for Prongs and Padfoot!"

Sirius and James didn't wait for Peter to complain anymore. They strolled pass their friend and passed Lily's chair. James was holding a glittering cloak in his right hand. Before they went out of the portrait hole, James swept the cloak over himself and Sirius and disappeared. Lily stayed slouched in the chair and waited for Peter to tread back up to the dormitory, which he soon did. The mousy boy muttered the whole way up.

Lily's grip on her journal loosened and her hands quickly found the armrests. She hoisted herself up from the uncomfortable position to stand up and stretch – causing her journal to land on the floor with a soft _thump_. The fire crackling in the fireplace started to die slowly. The flame was barely looking alive. The fire looked much like Lily felt. Small, exhausted, and just wanting to sleep for the rest of her life. Reaching down, Lily's long fingers grasped her journal. She tucked it in her bag that was resting next to the armchair.

Trying to keep the images of James and Sirius not being able to transform and being ripped to shreds by a tiny werewolf, Lily made her way up to her dormitory to sleep. Tossing and turning all night allowed the prefect to only get a couple hours of sleep. Horrifying sounds of snapping limbs filled Lily's ears. When August's alarm went off, Lily jumped out of bed and scrambled to get her clothes on. She got several concerned looks, but didn't pay any attention to them.

"Lily?" August asked as she touched her friend's shoulder.

"What?"

Dark circles resided under dull emerald eyes. Lily looked like she had been run over by a train at least fifty times. Her irritability was up due to lack of sleep. With a piercing glare, August seemed slightly taken back. Nevertheless, August asked, "Why are you up so early?"

Without a word, Lily snatched her satchel and stormed out of the room. The redhead wasn't quite presentable to be going to class today. Her school robes were draped across the back of a chair in the dormitory. Her tie was stuffed somewhere in her school bag. She had slipped sneakers onto her feet. Her dress shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a green tank top underneath it. Oh, professors would be furious with her newfound look.

The prefect's sneakers squeaked on the stone floors every now and then. In a swift movement, Lily grasped a brush in her hands and started to brush her hair. Brushing didn't really help the mess of curls, but only made more snarls. Giving up on making herself somewhat presentable, Lily gave up and went straight to the infirmary. Once there, she burst through the doors to look for a familiar face.

"My word!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

To Lily's annoyance, the school nurse rushed over towards her and started prodding her with a wand. The prefect smacked it away with her hand only to find the wand poke at another part of her body. It wasn't until Lily said she was just there to see someone that the nurse stopped.

"You could have said something!"

"I tried! But you were too busy treating me as though I were cattle!" Lily shot back.

"Well, there is no one here today, Miss Evans, so why don't you scuttle out of here."

"Remus Lupin isn't here?"

As if on queue, the sanatorium's doors opened to reveal three students. Being half dragged in the middle was a pale and bloody Remus Lupin. His arms were weakly draped over the shoulders of Sirius Black and James Potter. Sirius and James seemed to be supporting the frail looking boy. Tears stung Lily's eyes at the sight of Remus. No one deserved that.

"Miss Evans, get out of here!" Madam Pomfrey rushed over towards the three boys.

"We went to fetch him as soon as we woke up," James spoke nervously as his eyes darted towards Lily.

"His neck and back are pretty messed up," Sirius continued.

"Take him to the bed," Madam Pomfrey instructed before turning back to Lily. "You are to tell no one what you saw! Go to class!"

Lily slowly backed out of the hospital wing as tears flowed freely down her face. How could someone so nice and compassionate be in so much pain? He wouldn't hurt a fly and yet he had to go through that every month. Lily's back found the stonewall, and she slid down it. Her knees were being hugged close to her chest. It wasn't fair.

The doors of the infirmary opened again, and Sirius Black sat down next to Lily. He wrapped an arm around the redhead and pulled her close to his chest. Lily buried her face into the folds of Sirius's robes and welcomed the embrace. After what seemed like forever, Lily pulled back her red face and looked into the boy's pale eyes.

"You can't tell anyone what you saw, Lily," Sirius spoke seriously.

"I know Remus is a werewolf," the prefect replied. "He told me last month."

"You don't care?"

"No," Lily replied simply as she wiped her face. "I never knew they were that bad."

"The transformations hurt him a lot."

"I noticed. I feel like an idiot for crying," Lily let out a small choked laugh.

"The first time James and I went to retrieve him, I know I cried," Sirius gave an embarrassed sort of smile as he spoke. "I remember I was only twelve at the time, and we had just figured out what had been going on. He was so bloody and so pale. I stopped dead in my tracks; I had never seen anything like it before. James went ahead and took off his cloak to wrap it around Remus. James turned to me and told me he needed help getting back to the castle. I went over – I didn't even know tears were pouring down my face until James told me. That image haunted me for months."

"It doesn't now?"

"You get used to it after several years," Sirius replied as though it were nothing.

"I highly doubt I would," Lily replied.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't."

Classes were extremely drawn out today. Vanderveer ranted on about different kinds of hexes and curses in Defense. Truax had instructed them to make the most complex potion they knew. Then Charms, Professor Flitwick had reviewed what they had gone over so far as if trying to help them remember the main points for their O.W.L.'s. Sirius and James looked slightly worried the whole day during classes. They didn't joke or pull one prank – not that Lily saw that is.

After dinner, Lily had gone straight to the infirmary to see how Remus was doing. When she walked in, Lily half expected for Madam Pomfrey to either prod her or shout for her to get out again. Neither of them happened, however. The redhead walked farther into the hospital wing and saw that the very last bed had its drapery drawn. She stood outside, as she was unsure of what to do. Ripe the drapery down or call out his name? She thought it would be best to call his name.

"Remus?"

There was a soft murmur from behind the cloth. Lily reached out and opened the drapery to see Remy Lupin curled up under the stiff hospital sheets. His amber eyes were watching her with curiosity and anxiety. He feebly motioned a hand for his prefect partner to take a seat. Only there weren't any seats around his bed, so Lily decided to sit on the edge of the bed.

Remus looked dreadful. His skin was stretched on his body and several places bones were protruding out. His cheekbones looked as if they were going to break the skin. His fingers and arms looked skeleton; they looked slightly more hairy than usual. There were dark bags residing under his eyes. His hair looked greyer then it usually did. There were various bite marks and scratches all over his visible body and probably even where Lily couldn't see.

"Hi," Remus spoke hoarsely.

"Hey," Lily greeted with a comforting smile as she reached out and grasped his hand in hers.

"Usually the first day's the worst."

"I see that."

Lily had no idea what to say to the boy. She had wanted to give him reassurance that there were other people beside Black and Potter that cared about him and his well-being. At the moment, Lily wanted nothing more than to just walk away and talk to him when he didn't look as though he had just died. There were more lines that covered his face, especially on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked concerned.

"Am I okay? Remy, I should be asking you that question," Lily said as she gave his hand a small squeeze. "How are you doing, Wolfe?"

"I've been asked that question more times than I care to count today," Remus replied. "I'm fine."

"I saw Sirius and James bring you in here this morning," Lily added. "I wanted to see how you were doing but you weren't even here yet."

"I don't remember much of what happened this morning," Remus spoke honestly as he scrunched up his face in thought. "I remember Sirius patting my face so that I'd wake up. Then James covered me with his cloak. I remember them asking me if I was okay, and I remember them picking me up and helping get here. I never remember much in the morning after the transformation."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Lily declared as tears filled her eyes.

"Please, don't, Lily," Remus sounded guilty. "Please, just joke and be yourself."

Lily let out a soft chuckle and a smile spread appeared her face. She could be herself if that meant Remus would be happy. Lily just hated seeing one of her friends in such pain. The two had chatted about the masquerade and the Christmas dance. They talked about classes and teachers. They even poked fun at Paris Van Arden.

It was nearly eight when Remus was discharged from the hospital wing. The two prefects had walked back to Gryffindor Tower together. Once they arrived, they saw the rest of the 'marauders' sitting by the fireplace talking in low voices with their wands drawn. On the other side of the room was Rhia and August, who were looking over a bit of parchment.

Lily went towards her friends, and Remus to his. Lily sat down next to August to see what the girls were looking at. It was a bit of parchment that had 'Mirages vs. Marauders' written in Rhia's loopy handwriting. Next to the piece of parchment was another one that had 'Rules' written on top of it in handwriting that Lily never saw before. It was a small, messy script that most likely belonged to a boy. Down the paper, Lily could spot her best friend's handwriting.

"What is this?" Lily asked.

"We – meaning August, you, and myself – are competing with James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus," Rhia replied as she pulled out two more sheets of parchment and handed them to Lily.

"Competing?" inquired Lily.

"Yes," August responded as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"This one is for you to contact Rhia and myself."

Rhia handed Lily one sheet of blank parchment. The dark-haired girl went on to explain that all she had to do was write a message down on the paper, and the ink would seep through and appear on Rhia and August's sheets. She then handed Lily the other parchment, which had a small 'M' written in the top corner.

"That one," August started, "is if you need to contact the boys."

"Wait," Lily declared, "I'm utterly confused."

"James, Sirius, and I were talking," Rhia answered, "and we thought that it would be best if we had a little competition."

"What kind of competition?"

"A friendly competition," August supplied.

"What kind of_ 'friendly competition'_?" Lily stressed.

"Read the rules," Rhia stated as she threw the parchment with 'Rules' written on the top to Lily.

_Rules_

_1.) No one but the Marauders and the Mirages can be acknowledged of the competition_

_2.) Under no circumstance can the teams be changed_

_3.) Competition ends at the end of the year and under no circumstance before hand_

_4.) Points will be added up at the end of each month in a meeting between the two teams_

_5.) Points will be awarded to the Mirages to make up for their lack of a member_

_6.) Competition will test mental, emotional, physical, and magical aspects_

_7.) Competition is always on_

_8.) Competition is to remain friendly at all times_

_9.) Mirages need nicknames_

_10.) No specific rule but rules need to end on an even number_

Lily read the rules at least five times and was still baffled at what exactly was going on. Who were the 'mirages'? _Oh no,_ Lily thought, _please not let that be Rhia, August, and myself_. The redhead turned when she saw the four 'marauders' walking towards their small group. Sirius motioned the girls to follow and immediately Rhia and August stood up. Lily stood up also, unsure of what else she was supposed to be doing. Maybe she would get some explanations. It was nearly past curfew, but the group of nine Gryffindors walked out of the portrait hole.

"Evans, since you and Remus are prefects you're going to walk without cover," James spoke briefly. "Cromwell and Diefendorf, get under the cloak."

August and Rhia crowded next to Sirius, Peter, and James. James swooped the glittery cloak and the five teenagers disappeared, except for a foot that was sticking out. Remus grabbed his fellow prefect's arm, and the two started to walk. Lily could hear the five footsteps behind her.

"How aren't they visible?" Lily whispered to Remus.

"Invisibility Cloak."

The group walked all the way to the seventh floor where there was an awfully ugly tapestry hanging on the wall. Sirius appeared from underneath the cloak and started pacing past the tapestry three times before a handle appeared. He grasped the handle and the Gryffindors walked into the room. The room was a comfortable place that looked almost exactly like the Gryffindor common room. There were squishy chairs and couches around a coffee table, which was directly in front of a fireplace. Behind the seating area was a wooden table with nine mismatched chairs surrounding it. On two of the walls were bookcases that were filled from floor to ceiling with books.

"Take a seat next to the fireplace, my ladies and fellow gents," Sirius walked over towards a scarlet loveseat and sat down.

"What is this place?" Lily asked in wonderment as she took a seat in a cozy mustard-colored chair.

"The Room of Requirements," Peter piped up as he took a seat in a green-colored chair.

"Oh," Lily uttered, "so what is this contest exactly?"

"James and Rhia were fighting about who was smarter – boys or girls," August answered as she took a seat next to Remus on a golden-colored couch.

"So Sirius thought we'd make a competition out of it," Rhia responded.

"All points will be recorded on nine pieces of parchment so that each member knows exactly how many points have been awarded," Sirius explained.

"Everything from classes to extracurricular activities," James divulged. "Say Cromwell answers a question correctly in McGonagall's class. On each of our scorecards, ten points will appear under Cromwell's name. When we do practical magic, the first person to succeed gets twenty points. The second person will get fifteen, third will get ten, and fourth will get five. All of those points will appear immediately on the scorecards."

"All of you will be going to the Patronus lessons that Remus, James, Lily, and myself have been going to," Sirius commanded. "The first one to get a corporeal Patronus will earn their team fifty points. Second will earn forty and so on."

"There will be special contests out side of classes to represent things besides intelligence," Rhia announced. "Those will be held after the prefects have stopped patrolling for the night."

"There is no cheating," August started to explain. "You cannot take lucky potions, Cheating Quills, or perform any spell or drink any potion that will make you smarter. If you do, then on the scorecards there will be a deduction of eighty points for cheating."

"Since the girls have one less player," James interrupted, "at the end of each month, the player on our team who has the least amount of points will share the points with a made up player on your team."

"How is that fair?" Lily cut in on the explanations.

"Say that you were losing by 160 points," Sirius clarified, "and say that our lowest scorer had 170 points, you would automatically win that month. Say, however, that our lowest scorer had 150 points, that means our team wins that month."

"So one set of points is totally knocked out," Lily tried to understand.

"Exactly," James replied.

"And we're the 'mirages'?"

"Yes, I thought it was absolutely a fabulous name," Rhia replied smiling.

"What about that rule, the one that said the 'mirages' need nicknames?"

"I go by Padfoot, Remus is Moony, James is Prongs, and Peter… has yet to receive a nickname," Sirius declared as his gray eyes wandered over towards Peter. "You three need nicknames like that so that we can call each other by only nicknames."

"What if I don't want to do this?" Lily inquired.

"You will."

"How do you know I want a part of this?"

"Because, Poppet, you like to show off," Sirius said with a smirk.

Lily leaned back in her comfy chair and thought about what the Gryffindors were suggesting. The redhead wanted to do it. She wanted to deflate Potter's overbearing ego. Lily wanted to put him in his place. Oh, it would be bittersweet to win. There was no way the girls couldn't win. Girls _were_ smarter then boys.

"I'm in," Lily announced.

"Remus will make the scorecards with August by next month," Sirius notified with his gorgeous smile. "Poppet, how about you and I write down all the point values of everything we can think of so that Moony and August can make up the scorecards?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Lily hadn't known it at the time, but Sirius had suggested the competition only to help James and Lily become friends. His plan backfired, and Lily would end up hating James Potter more than she had before. The nine Gryffindors had signed a paper that night saying that under no circumstance would the stop the competition before the end of the year – unless they wanted to have a burn on their arm that said 'Weak', a parchment that James had spelled. There would be a time in the next couple of months when Lily would want to stop the competition, but would keep going through with it even though she had been mentally scarred due to one fatal day in Hogsmeade.

Author's Notes – Hey, if I get lots of reviews – say like 20 – by Friday, then I will post the next chapter up on Friday instead of waiting for a whole week to post. I had been debating whether or not to put in this competition, but I thought that it was necessary. I have finished HBP, and I guess my story is now labeled as AU due to one small detail. I am going to be incorporating one small part of HBP into this story, but not for several chapters. I'll warn you before I put up that chapter.


	10. A Masquerade Halloween

Chapter Summary –

"You look so whorish that it isn't even funny," Lily said seriously.

"I bought it today."

"You had a perfectly nice costume be-"

"That was until I found out Sirius Black is going as a dog."

Chapter Title – A Masquerade Halloween

_The competition is to start tomorrow. Excitement is filling me. I can't wait to deflate Potter's ego. I know for sure the girls will win. Sirius and I have been working rapidly to get the point values made out. The highest amount of points you can get for one achievement is 500, and that's only if you save someone's life. The smallest point values were 10, and that was for if you answered a question correctly in class. Sirius and I also made minus numbers such as detentions, answering wrong, and being expelled. Everything was looked over by the two teams before Remy and August made the score sheets. Everything is ready for tomorrow's kick-off day. The score sheets look amazing._

_Rhia, August, and I – or the 'Mirages' as the boys now call us – have been attempting to make nicknames. Rhia was very adamant about being named 'The Boobs', but somehow August talked her out of it. I really wanted to be 'Bloodsucking Fiend' but I was told it was a bit too long. We did manage to pick names – only the boys hate them with a fiery passion. I'm Blossom. Rhia is Raven. August is Smarty. The 'Marauders' said that those names were too girly, so they're picking new names for us. Oh, joys beyond joys. I can only imagine the outrageous things they will name us._

Lily sat next to August eating breakfast. It wasn't fair that she had to stay behind from a Hogsmeade visit just to get the Great Hall ready for the Halloween Party that night. She would much rather go out with Rhia and August or even with Brent. Of course, she couldn't though – stupid prefect obligations. The redhead stabbed her sausage with her fork as an annoying voice called out her name.

Sirius Black stood behind her. He picked up Lily's satchel on the space next to her and threw it onto the table. He then took the seat for himself. Sirius smiled at her as he brushed a lock of black hair behind his ear. Lily looked from Sirius to the school bag on the table. She then said, "I was saving that seat for my best friend."

"Good thing I got here before anyone else took it then," Sirius spoke cheerfully as he grabbed a piece of sausage from the redhead's plate.

"Hey! Get your dirty fingers away from my food!"

Lily swatted at Sirius's hand as he plopped the piece of sausage into his mouth. Royally annoyed at Sirius, Lily took a free plate and loaded a mountain of sausages onto it. She then placed it in front of Sirius with a smile spread widely across her face. The boy didn't look amused.

"What's with the ears?" Lily questioned.

On top of Sirius's head was a black headband that had two pointy dog ears sticking out on the top. Lily reached out a pale finger flicked the fake ear closest to her. Sirius let out a yelp of pain and swatted her hand away from his ear.

"That's part of me, you know," Sirius snapped playfully as he snatched another sausage from Lily's plate.

"What's up with the ears?" Lily asked again.

"It's part of my costume for tonight."

"What part of masquerade don't you understand?"

"So what? People know who I am. Big deal," Sirius stated with annoyance lacing his words. "What are you going to be?"

Lily didn't say anything. Instead, she just turned towards her breakfast and continued to eat it. Sirius asked her again in a whiney voice, but the redhead didn't dare say a word. The table started to fill up. Rhia had taken a seat across from her best friend with James Potter sitting right next to her. The two were whispering to each other as if they were plotting something. It was annoying Lily, so she tried not to pay attention to them.

Within twenty minutes, everyone started filing out of the Great Hall to go to Hogsmeade. The younger students went to lounge in their common rooms or around the castle. The prefects stayed in the Great Hall, most looking sulky and moody. Remus appeared behind Lily and took a seat next to her with a smile etched upon his drawn face. The head boy and girl were standing in front of the teacher's table.

"All the decorations are in that room," Frank started as he pointed to a door not far away from the professor table. "I want the decorations put up and the tables set. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall were nice enough to stay behind with us to help us with the huge pieces of furniture that need to be moved out and brought in. Get with your group, pick an area, and start putting everything together."

Lily and Remus went towards Alice Prewett and Frank Longbottom. McGonagall and Flitwick started banishing the house tables and replacing them with small round tables. Chairs appeared all over the Great Hall as well as boxes. Lily opened one box to see it was filled with dishes and silverware. The redhead groaned. She hated setting tables.

Remus and Lily were put on duty of setting up the tables. They covered each table with tablecloths that were adorned in dancing pumpkins with witch's hats on their heads. The plates were then placed in front of the chairs. When Lily was setting one of the tables, she heard a gruff voice say, "Oy! I'm dancing here!" The redhead picked up the plate she had just placed down to see a sullen looking pumpkin. Lily made sure not to place any more plates on the pumpkins, which was difficult because they were dancing all over the tablecloths.

The Great Hall looked magnificent from every angle. Craved pumpkins were suspended in midair with orange and black candles. The tables looked wondrous. In the middle of the room was sparse for dancing. Streamers were everywhere. There was a huge, colorful banner behind the professor's table that read "Happy Halloween" with pictures of dancing pumpkins, witches, black cats, and everything else dealing with Halloween. The banner was made by the artsy Daniel Thomas.

The prefects were exhausted after hours of decorating. They treaded back to their common rooms to get ready for the party in a couple hours. The other students were just coming back from Hogsmeade. Lily walked into her dormitory and collapsed upon her bed. Several minutes later Rhia and August walked in.

"Have fun?" August asked.

"Oh, oodles," Lily spoke sarcastically.

All the girls rushed around the room to get ready for the Halloween feast – all but Lily that was. She had fallen asleep at some point. Lily only knew this for she was rudely shaken awake by her best friend in a ridiculous getup. Rhia had a black bodysuit on that looked as though it was two sizes too small. She wore pointed black ears, which looked oddly like Sirius's. Around Rhia's eyes were thick layers of kohl to act as a mask. Her nose was powered pink and small whiskers came out from under her nose.

"You look so whorish that it isn't even funny," Lily said seriously.

"I bought it today."

"You had a perfectly nice costume be-"

"That was until I found out Sirius Black is going as a dog."

"So you wanted to be a cat, because cats and dogs go so well together?"

"Shut it, you!"

Lily rolled her eyes dramatically and shot a look of utter disbelief to her friend. Without another word, the redhead got up and went over to her wardrobe to pull out her Halloween costume. She felt slightly silly to have picked out such a costume, but it was the only thing she could think of in such a short amount of time. She was going to be a fairytale witch. She had a long black dress that she cut up at the bottom so that the bottom was shaped in several pieces of pointed fabric. She then sewed on orange triangles to fill in the spaces at the base of the dress. She wore clunky black boots that made her several inches taller. She placed a black witch's hat on top of her red head. Lily then covered her face in a green powder and a fake green nose with a wart on the very tip.

"Tada!" Lily exclaimed as she struck a pose.

"And you say I look like a whore," Rhia muttered.

"You look so beautiful, Lily," August commented as she stepped out of the bathroom.

August looked stunning. The usual plain, bookish girl had decked out for the occasion. She was a mermaid and looked superb. Her chestnut hair was pulled in loose curls. Her top looked like something out of the sea. It had a plunging neckline. It was made of lace was adorned with colors that could only be found under the sea. Her skirt flowed down to her knees and looked as thought it was made out of kelp and seaweed. There was a mask over her eyes with sparkly fish covering them.

"I love your mask!" Lily cried.

"I attached it to my glasses so that I could see."

"Very resourceful!"

The three girls linked arms and walked down to the Great Hall. As soon as they stepped inside, August and Rhia gasped in shock. The place looked magnificent, and the two voiced their opinions. Several students were already in the Great Hall with their costumes on. The girls were about to find a table to claim as their own when an arm reached out and grabbed Lily's elbow. It was a gently touch that sent shivers through Lily's body.

The redhead turned around to see someone dressed in the silliest getup. It made Lily burst out into a fit of giggles. The boy standing behind her wore white tights with a blue old-fashioned top embellished in ruffles. He had on tassel shoes. On his head was a hat with two huge feathers sticking out. His eyes were covered with a sleek black mask.

"What are you supposed to be?" Rhia asked as she too had erupted in a fit of giggles with August.

"Prince Charming," the boy declared as he bowed, "my fair ladies."

The boy's voice sounded so familiar, but Lily couldn't place it. Green eyes wandered over his features to try to place whom he was, but she couldn't. The boy stood up straight, and Lily looked into his sparkling hazel eyes. Lily had thought for a split second that the mystery boy was Brent, but her boyfriend didn't have those intriguing eyes or the comical personality.

"Care for a dance?" the boy asked as he reached out a hand.

Lily took the hand without thinking. A smile was spread widely across her face as the boy led her out to the middle of the dance floor. The prefect thought of Brent and how she was cheating on him, but that thought was quickly pushed from her mind. It really wasn't _cheating_. They were only dancing. It wasn't like Lily was going to snog the boy senseless or anything like that.

The mystery boy wrapped one arm around Lily's thin waist and pulled her close to him so that there was no space between their bodies. His other hand found the redhead's pale hand, and he held it gently towards his chest. Lily melted in his grasp and positioned her free hand onto the boy's shoulder. For the first time in her short life, Lily felt as though she completely belonged. It was as though Mr. Charming and Lily were meant to spend the rest of their lives together.

Everything was lost to Lily as she swayed with Mr. Charming – as Lily had now dubbed him. The redhead didn't notice anything that was going on around her. She was lost in the hazel orbs as she tried to place who this boy was. Mr. Charming had a smile planted on his face that never left as he danced with Lily.

The music stopped and the headmaster's voice filled the Great Hall. Lily reluctantly turned around to face the headmaster who was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. The prefect couldn't help but let out a laugh as Mr. Charming chuckled behind her. Professor Dumbledore had a huge burlap bag resting next to him. There was a sullen woman standing next to him dressed up as Mrs. Claus. It took Lily a minute or two to realize that the woman was actually Professor McGonagall.

"I see that almost all the students are here," the jolly headmaster announced. "We'll have an hour for mingling and dancing, and then the delicious Halloween feast will be served. So bip bip, my young students, and have a glorious evening!"

Lily turned back to Mr. Charming to see that his smile looked as though it was smiling going to tear his face apart. Her emerald eyes wandered over to her best friend who was dancing with a boy in black dogs ears, a black eye mask, a black t-shirt, and jeans that had a pointy tail sticking out the back. Sirius Black really wasn't a very creative person at all. Lily searched the Great Hall for August. She immediately spotted her bookish friend who was dancing with a boy covered in a white sheet. There were holes for his hands to go through. On the front of the sheet was written 'BOO' in black marker.

"So, would you like to tell me about yourself?" Mr. Charming asked sweetly.

"Well, I'm awfully clumsy and sometimes truly clueless, but I've got friends that love me for all my flaws," Lily answered cryptically. "How about you?"

"I'm crazy, but in a good way," the boy replied with his lovely low chuckle.

"Is that so?" Lily inquired playfully.

"Quite so," the boy said with another chuckle. "I'm such a loser at times, so forgive me if I say anything offensive."

"You may be a loser, but I love it."

The words had slipped out of Lily's mouth before she could stop herself. What had gotten into her? She was openly flirting with a complete stranger when she had a brilliant boyfriend in the same room. Lily bit her lip and decided to forget about Brent. He could be out there right now flirting with some random girl. It wasn't like Brent had tried to find out what Lily would be so he could hang out with her at the party. Quite the opposite, Brent had been avoiding her for the past week.

"So where are your friends?" Mr. Charming asked.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Oh, they're dead," the boy declared jokingly. "Everyone knows I killed them, but nobody seems to be able to find the bodies."

There were screams from the left of Lily and Mr. Charming. They whipped their heads around to see a couple first years had fallen into the enormous apple-bobbing container. They were soaking wet, and Professor McGonagall – or Mrs. Claus – was hollering at them for disturbing the party. Students around them were guffawing at them.

"Never underestimate the power stupid people hold in groups," Mr. Charming told her.

"Never underestimate the power ickle first years hold in any type of group. They are utter restless and idiots."

"I'm highly offended by that, Miss Creepy Witch," Mr. Charming said while smiling like a bloody fool. "When I was a first year, I was poised, intelligent, and overall the best student ever!"

"What happened to you then?" Lily sniggered.

"What?"

"You said _was_," Lily smugly replied a smile stretched upon her face. "That's indicating that you _aren't_ smart and poised anymore."

The boy burst out laughing, and immediately Lily starting laughing as well. Several people turned to look at them, but the two didn't even notice. As soon as Mr. Charming had calmed down a bit he said, "It's funnier now that I get it." That simple comment made Lily burst out in another fit of giggles that she couldn't control.

The two never left the dance floor once. They slowly swayed the whole time, oblivious to everything happening around them. The two had realized at one point that they were the only two still standing on the dance floor. Professor Dumbledore stood behind them with a smile etched on his wrinkly face. He politely asked them to take a seat. There was a definite twinkle in his eyes as the two teenagers turned crimson – although no one knew Lily actually blushed due to the fact that her face was smeared in green powder.

The two sat down at the table with Rhia, August, Sirius, and the ghost boy. Lily took a seat next to Rhia as Mr. Charming sat down next to Lily. Rhia nudged her best friend in the ribs. The raven-haired girl puckered up her lips and then mouthed the word 'scrumptious'. Lily laughed before turning towards the delectable cuisine.

Through the whole meal, Lily kept glancing at Mr. Charming. He was too good to be true. The redhead had so many thoughts filling her head that she didn't know which ones to sort out first. Lily was seriously thinking about dumping Brent to go out with Mr. Charming. Then again, what if Mr. Charming was really a jerk and was just playing up the part of being perfect for one night? Could she risk her wondrous relationship with Brent to be with someone whom she didn't even have a name to put with his personality?

"You're so creative," Lily addressed Sirius.

"I know! Took ages to come up with this costume," Sirius stated.

"You could have pretended that you cared."

"Like you did?" Sirius shot back. "All you did was put on a hat, dress, and painted your face green, Poppet."

"Where's the rest of your posse?" Lily inquired as she changed the subject.

"I haven't seen James or Peter all night."

"Where's Remus? You've seen him?"

"He's at this table right now," Sirius replied.

Lily looked over to Mr. Charming. It couldn't be Remus could it? No, the eyes were different. Moreover, Remus wasn't that tall. Emerald eyes wandered over to the ghost sitting next to August. Oh, it was so fitting that Remus was a ghost. The boy was awfully shy like that. A pale hand from underneath the sheet waved at Lily, and she waved back with a smile planted on her face.

"He wasn't inventive either," Sirius complained, "and you aren't yelling at him!"

"I'm sorry," Lily said sincerely. "Remus, next patrol I will have to yell at you like there is no tomorrow. Tonight, however, I'm all out of yelling because I spent too much time berating Sirius."

"That's so stupid!" Sirius whined.

Once the feast was done with, the headmaster had granted the students one more hour of partying before they were to go off to dreamland. Mr. Charming led Lily back out into the dance floor to take their spot that they had previously that night. Mr. Charming pulled Lily close to his body as the two swayed to the music playing throughout the Great Hall. Lily never felt safer or more relaxed with anybody else.

"Are you going to tell me your name?" Lily asked as the hour quickly passed.

"Then it wouldn't be a masquerade party," Mr. Charmed replied mischievously.

"How will we ever keep in touch after tonight?"

"You'll see me around."

"But I don't know who you are."

"Well, I'll leave you with a kiss, and you will remember that kiss and find me again."

Mr. Charming leaned his head forward slowly towards Lily's green face. The redhead stood up on her tiptoes to lean towards the mysterious boy. If Lily saw fireworks, then she was defiantly going to break it off with Brent. If not… then maybe Mr. Charming wasn't Lily's soul mate after all.

Their lips brushed against each other, and Lily saw a flash of green obstruct her vision. It was hurting her. Her chest felt as though it was going to explode. Lily was going to pull away when Mr. Charming grabbed Lily by the back of the head and pulled her into a bruising kiss. Another flash of blinding green light filled her senses as the pain in her chest seemed to increase. It burned as though it were on fire. The kiss deepened, and Lily heard high-pitched menacing laughter fill her head. Mr. Charming pulled apart for a couple seconds to catch his breath and then their lips locked again. A frightened, female scream filled Lily's head. The woman screamed, "Harry!"

Lily tried to mumble stop, but she was too weak to. She heard the name, Harry, scream through her head once more before darkness filled her. She felt as though she was falling down a bottomless pit. Then, everything stopped. The pain, the laughter, and the screaming had all ceased. Everything was empty.

Lily would never forget the feeling she had when she kissed the mysterious boy. It was as though a wave of memories were shouting out to her, but Lily couldn't place what it meant. Her chest hurt so much and the light was so bright. Lily would want answers, but she wouldn't know where to find them. She would try to push them out of her mind, but they would always be haunting her.

Author's Notes – Another chapter! Yay! A day late, but let's not dwell on that. The questions from megaroony, sparkley-tangerine, and mkiara were answered in my livejournal. The link is in my profile. I hope you enjoyed the chapter – with a little cliffhanger at the end – and please… please review? For me?


	11. Gorgeous Tights

Chapter Summary –

"James is wicked cool!" Johnny protested.

"Lovely."

"He likes you, you know."

"Unfortunately," Lily sighed.

"He says you're hot," Johnny pointed out with a shrug.

Chapter Title – Gorgeous Tights

_Somehow the best night of my life turned out to be the worst experience I have ever had. Mr. Charming wasn't so charming after he kissed me. It was weird, incomprehensible. I can't even begin to explain what had happened. One minute I was on cloud nine and the next, I was falling into this bottomless pit of sadness. The worst part of all of this was the fact that I couldn't see my two best friends. Madam Pomfrey had limited my visitors to the headmaster and my head of house when I had regained consciousness. I'm not allowed to see my friends until tomorrow. Bugger that. I want to see them now._

"Lily Evans."

Lily groaned and pulled her covers closer to her body. It was then that something started touching her nose. A pale arm tried to swat it away, but the object kept petting Lily's nose in a disturbing way. One green eye opened and locked with Rhiannon Cromwell's shimmering blue eyes.

"Morning, Princess Red," Rhia said playfully as she kept stroking Lily's freckly nose.

"You can stop that now," Lily pouted.

"Not until August and I aren't pissing our pants in fret."

Lily's eyes wandered past her best friend to where August was standing looking perplexed. They were in regular clothes as Lily looked down to see she was still in her witch costume. Oh, that was embarrassing. The redhead swatted at her best friend once more; and to Lily's delight, Rhia stopped the annoying nose rubbing.

"You scared us shitless," Rhia commented seriously as she sat down on the edge of the hospital bed.

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"You were dancing with Gorgeous Tights, you kissed him, and you fainted."

"Gorgeous Tights caught you when you fainted," August commented. "Professor Dumbledore came running towards you and asked what happened."

"Gorgeous Tights was baffled."

"Why are you calling him Gorgeous Tights?" Lily inquired with irritation lacing her words.

"Because he looked absolutely scrumptious in those tights," Rhia supplied.

"Rhia came up with the name and it stuck," August divulged.

Just then, the infirmary door opened and revealed Sirius – who still wore those ridiculous dog ears – and Remus. They took in the scene before them. Sirius strolled up towards Lily's bed and sat down on the edge next to Rhia. The bed gave an ominous creak as the weight shifted to one side. Remus walked towards August and stood beside her.

"Already in the hospital wing and today marks the opening day of the competition," Sirius stated. "Do you have no shame?"

"Sorry if I was brutally attacked," Lily's words were mixed with sarcasm.

"You were not attacked, Poppet," Sirius protested.

"It felt like it, Retarded Poppet."

"Owe!" Sirius shouted as he grabbed his heart with a pained expression covering his face.

"So what happened when you kissed Gorgeous Tights?" Rhia questioned. "Was it more than you thought it would be?"

Sirius pulled a face of mock amusement. A smile inched on his face that made him look preposterous. His eyes wandered from Rhia to Lily back to Rhia and then back to Lily. The redhead wanted to smack him upside the head for being an idiot, but Rhia was in the way.

"It was horrible kissing Gorgeous Ti – oh, now you got me calling him that!" Lily exclaimed.

"Why was it horrible kissing Gorgeous Tights?" Sirius questioned as his face fell.

Lily could remember the agonizing pain in her chest. Just thinking about it made her chest ache. The green flashes of light flashed through her vision. The screams and laughter rang through her head. It was horrible, the feeling and the pain.

"It hurt," Lily replied when she realized everyone was staring at her.

"Love hurts," Rhia retorted with a smirk.

"Not like this."

Rhia and August gave her weird looks. Sirius looked slightly on edge and disappointed. Remus looked as though he half expected this to happen. The looks unnerved Lily a great deal, but she kept her mouth shut. The prefect tried to come up with something to say that sounded utterly stupid and funny, but was having a hard time thinking up something that would ease the room.

"So I'm expecting you all to send me wonderful gifts while I'm in the hospital," Lily cracked a smile as she spoke.

"Psh, you think I have money to do that?" Sirius questioned.

Rhia rolled her eyes and got up from the bed. August made a noise in her throat. Remus just looked completely uncomfortable with everything. Then there was the fact that her friends had come to visit her without Madam Pomfrey's permission. The matron walked into the infirmary and started shouting for disturbing the peace. When she shouted, she looked pointedly at Sirius.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Sirius called as he jumped off the bed. "It's been too long!"

Sirius ran up to Madam Pomfrey and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. The girls watched in amusement. The matron pushed Sirius away from her and yelled at everyone to get out. Lily sulked at this. She didn't want to be stuck in the infirmary by herself. The redhead asked the school nurse if she could go with her friends, but was sadly mistaken. Lily raised a freckly hand and waved at her friends as goodbye. Rhia and August each gave her a hug before departing. Remus gave her a wave and a smile. Sirius had hugged her and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

The next hour was spent asking the nurse if she could leave every few minutes. Madam Pomfrey was so fed up with the redhead, that she had discharged her a day early. Lily jumped out of the stiff hospital bed and practically ran to Gryffindor Tower. When she reached the Fat Lady, the prefect was out of breath and had managed to announce the password. The portrait swung open to allow Lily entrance. The 'Marauders' were sitting in the corner as they poured over a book. Rhia and August were exchanging essays.

"I'm back!" Lily declared her presence as she flopped down next to August on the couch.

"Thank-you," August commented with her voice filled with sarcasm. "I really didn't notice you were back until you said something."

"It's kind of hard to miss her," Rhia replied with a smirk.

"Har. Har, " the redhead let out a fake laugh.

"It's not our fault you royally suck at life!"

"I _may_ suck at life, but I'm wickedly amazing," Lily retorted brightly.

"Sometimes I seriously worry about you, Lily," August spoke sincerely.

"Worry? I don't worry. I know she suffers from a mental illness," Rhia replied with a smirk spreading across her face.

"I don't suffer from lunacy, I actually enjoy every single minute of it."

"I'm enjoying the idea of visualizing you with duck tape over your mouth," Rhia smiled.

"I enjoy the idea of visualizing you get sucked into a black hole," Lily snapped back.

"Ladies! Ladies!"

Sirius Black made his way over towards the couch and sat down next to Lily. His arm found it's way around the redhead's shoulder. The prefect let her head fall on Sirius's shoulder as she closed her eyes. The boy started to play with the fabric on Lily's shoulder.

"Tomorrow we have classes," Sirius spoke. "That means the competition is going to be in full course."

"We have an announcement on nicknames," James Potter said sourly.

"I don't think I want to know," Rhia declared.

"Too bad," James retorted angrily.

"What's your problem?" Lily asked as she opened her eyes to look at the teenager in front of her.

The boy's brow furrowed as lines appeared on his forehead. His hazel eyes darted from Lily to Sirius – whose arm was still resting comfortably around the prefect's shoulder. James muttered something incoherently under his breath and turned his attention to Rhia and August. He was obviously upset about the affection Sirius showed towards Lily, which made Lily incredibly happy. The redhead snuggled closer to the eldest Black feeling content as Potter's scowl grew.

"Peter's nickname is Wormtail," James announced.

"Wormtail?" August questioned with a look on confusion etched on her face.

"So _pretty_," Rhia said condescendingly.

Lily watched James intently. His body language was stiff and uncomfortable with a mixture of anger and betrayal. He seemed so mad at Sirius. His eyes kept darting over towards his best friend with a hurt look. Lily wished she could see Sirius's face, but it would be too noticeable if she turned around and watched his face.

"Lily, Poppet," Sirius spoke up, "You're beautiful pet name that us boys have come up with will be the one and only, most fantastic-"

Lily rolled her eyes. Sirius couldn't make anything easy, could he? Just when the redhead had expected Sirius to utter the nickname, the portrait hole burst opened and a very livid Professor McGonagall stepped inside. Her eyes burned into the 'Marauders'. It was then that she screeched, "POTTER! BLACK! My office _now_!"

"We didn't do it!" Sirius shouted. "I've been hanging out with this lot all day!"

"Yeah, Professor, Cromwell and Diefendorf can vouch for us!" James exclaimed.

"I don't care if the Minister of Magic can _vouch_ for you!" McGonagall uttered. "What you did this time was unacceptable! Lupin! Pettigrew! I want you to come too! I have no doubt you two were in on this!"

"What did we _do_, Professor?" Sirius whined.

"Casting illegal hexes at Bertram Aubrey! Does that ring a bell?"

"Oooh," Sirius said thoughtfully. "That would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

"It wasn't _multiple_ hexes, Professor," James spoke up, "just a couple."

Sirius unwrapped his arm from around the prefect and stood up. He stretched his arms over his head, which caused her shirt to lift slightly to reveal some skin. Several girls giggled and blushed as they saw it. Sirius yawned and sauntered over towards McGonagall. Remus had walked over towards McGonagall as well. Peter looked as though he were going to piss his knickers when James had grabbed the chubby boy's arm and hauled him up. They too walked towards their head of house. The five then walked out of Gryffindor Tower.

"Do they always have to get into so much trouble?" August asked aloud.

"That's what they do best," Rhia countered aloofly.

"Illegal hexes?" Lily inquired; she seemed to be the only one who was upset about that bit of information. "Why would they want to do something against the law?"

"Attention," Rhia replied, "you know that, Lily."

"Does Potter not get a lot of attention at home?"

Rhia snorted loudly, which caused several students to turn and look at her. Lily rolled her eyes. Why didn't she know anything about her fellow classmates? Was it because she was a Muggleborn?

"James is spoiled rotten," Rhia pointed out. "He gets everything he asks for. His parents let him do whatever he wants to – well; his father really isn't in the state to do anything against it. His mother has been through so much that – well, it seems as though she's convinced if she does everything James wants then he won't end up like his brother."

"You mean Beau Potter?"

"Well, _yes_, it was a huge tragedy, scandal even."

"What exactly happened?" inquired Lily.

"It really isn't my place to say…"

"How do you know about it then?"

"My mother works very closely to Von Potter, they're friends actually," Rhia answered. "Both Healers, very high up too. You know my mum heads the spell damage ward. Von heads the Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Dai Llewellyn?" Lily questioned with a puzzled look.

"It's the bite ward, nasty business really."

"Right."

Lily stood up, knowing full well that Rhia wouldn't tell her anything. Even though the girls told each other everything, there was a golden rule in the Cromwell family that overruled it at times. Apparently, Pureblooded families didn't divulge secrets of other Pureblooded families to those who weren't Purebloods. Lily had heard Rhia's mum say that once when Rhia was telling her about the Longbottom's two summers ago.

The redhead walked out of the common room and started walking aimlessly around the corridors. She let her legs lead her. She wanted so badly to go up on the Astronomy Tower, but hated going there ever since her run-in with the Divination professor. Lily took a deep breath and made her way to her favorite tower – Divination professors be damned.

Lily opened the wooden door and stepped out onto the veranda. There were two first years standing there, Johnny Cromwell and someone Lily couldn't place. The prefect strolled over towards them. It wasn't before long that Johnny noticed her coming and groaned. The redhead smiled knowingly as she hoisted herself up to sit on the ledge of the tower.

"What are two first years doing up here all alone on a beautiful Sunday afternoon?"

"Figuring out the best way to throw someone off the Astronomy Tower without getting expelled," Johnny replied cheekily.

"Oh, I often ponder that as well," Lily told them. "Every time Severus Snape gives me one of those creepy looks, I want to grab his greasy hair and push him off. Then again, I wouldn't mind James Potter falling off as well."

"James is wicked cool!" Johnny protested.

"Lovely."

"He likes you, you know."

"Unfortunately," Lily sighed.

"He says you're hot," Johnny pointed out with a shrug.

"Johnny, a girl doesn't want to be called hot," the redhead replied. "That's the last thing a girl wants to be called. They want to be called beautiful or pretty or gorgeous or something equally as nice. Promise me you'll never call a girl hot."

The youngest Cromwell looked thoughtful for a second before stating that girls were too emotional, weird, and had cooties. He smirked at Lily and then left with his friend. The prefect looked sour for a few seconds before shaking the words from her head. Johnny didn't mean them; he was just trying to push the prefect's buttons.

Lily looked down at herself to see she was still in her Halloween attire. Groaning loudly, the redhead jumped down to the floor and treaded back to Gryffindor Tower to change into some jeans and a t-shirt. She felt like an utter idiot, but held her head up high. She walked into the common room to see Rhia and August sitting in the exact place they were when she left. The redhead walked up the stairs and into her dormitory to change into some comfortable clothes.

The prefect didn't feel like walking around aimlessly, her legs hurt and there was still a tinge of discomfort in her chest. Lily walked over towards her bed and plopped down upon it. She pulled a book ("The Complete Index of Spells") from her trunk. She flipped in the back of the book to look for green spells. Noting the page number, Lily flipped to page 386 and read:

_"The spell that emits the richest green pigments from a wand is none other than one of the most feared spells in the history of the Wizarding World. **Avada Kedavra **is most commonly known as the **Killing Curse**. No one has ever survived after being hit with this particular curse. It is highly illegal and is rightfully classified as an **Unforgivable Curse**. Using this curse will land you a lifetime in Azkaban Fortress._

If Lily could have seen her face, she would see she was deathly pale. Why in the world would she see the Killing Curse's green flash? Why would she feel it hit her square in the chest? Who was Mr. Charming or Gorgeous Tights or whatever he went by now? Was Lily a seer who foresaw Mr. Charming killing her? What about that Voldymelt? Was _he_ going to kill her? It was all too much to think about and worry about.

As the time passed on, Lily's dorm mates started filing in the dormitory to get ready for bed. An hour ticked by and Lily knew that they had all fallen asleep. The redhead grabbed her journal and made her way downstairs to write about today's events and what she had uncovered. She sat her petite form into the comfy chair by the blazing fireplace. The scratching of her quill was the only thing heard in the deserted common room. That was until the portrait hole to Gryffindor Tower opened.

Two boys came stumbling into the common room and took no notice of Lily. The redhead slouched in the chair so that the two teenage boys wouldn't see her. They were evidently drunk. Sirius Black let out a bark like laugh before he fell down on the floor. James Potter kicked his friend in the leg.

"Ya're a bad friend," James slurred.

"Get off my back!" Sirius's words slurred too.

"Ya know I like her, and you had to have her fall for ya."

"She don't like me, Prongsie, and I don't like her," Sirius said as he pointed a finger at his best friend. "She's really funny though. Quite quirky."

"Ya gotta help me," James said as she plopped down next to Sirius. "She likes ya and ya're a idiot."

"Gee, thanks. Ya are a great friend."

"Fer one, stop being a arse around her," Sirius told him as he sat up and placed an arm around his friend. "Ya say the stupidest things."

"Eh, I can't help it," James shrugged. "Ya stupid plan didn't exactly work either."

"Give it time, Prongsie. Give it time."

Lily watched out of the corner of her eye as Sirius tried to stand up only to fall down. James didn't even attempt to get up, for he was down for good. He pulled out a bottle from inside of his robes and took a swing. Sirius had decided to lie down, which his head resting in James's lap. His eyes were closed as though he decided to go to sleep. James took another swing of the bottle before he passed out.

The redhead stood from her chair and looked down at the pathetic heap on the floor. Sirius was drooling slightly on James's leg. The bottle – which Lily saw was Firewhiskey – was still clenched in James's hand. The boy's mouth as opened and soft snores were escaping.

A difficult choice was now at hand. Levitate them up to their beds or let them face humiliation tomorrow morning by their fellow classmates. Lily didn't want to be mean and leave them, but it served them right for drinking so much that they passed out. Besides, if she wasn't down there then they would have been embarrassed anyways. The redhead stepped over the two boys and made her way up to her dormitory, forgetting about Killing Curses, Gorgeous Tights, and everything in general. With a smirk etched upon her elegant face, Lily slept quite well that night with images of James and Sirius being excellent nap buddies.

Lily didn't know it at the time, but everything would seem less complicated as she got older. Everything that was a hazy gray would soon turn into black and white. Good would be defined from evil. Love would be defined from hate. You had heard that she would have to decide between resisting or serving, and that she would choose resistance. Now you must understand that she would have to decide between what is right and what is easy – which would be by far the hardest decision she would ever have to make. Lily's sense of bravery and nobility would force her to choose what is right. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she did anything else. The Sorting Hat had told Lily in her first year that she was "Brave beyond recognition, smart as a whip, sly as a fox, and too noble for her own good." Lily Violet Evans was told she belonged in every Hogwarts House, but in the end, the small redhead was placed in Gryffindor. Why you ask? Because in the end, Lily's bravery is what she would be remembered for.

Author's Notes – Sorry this is so late! Been terribly busy that I didn't get to revise it! I need your help, however. I simply cannot think of nicknames for Lily, August, and Rhia! I have one for Lily, but it's not very good. So please, tell me your opinions in a review or E-Mail, and I'll pick the ones I like the best! I answered the following reviews in my livejournal: Danu3 and Darkdestiny2000.


	12. Flesh Eating Spiders

Chapter Summary – "You! You bloody idiot!" Lily screeched. "My vulnerable flesh almost got eaten by monolithic human-eating spiders!"

Chapter Title – Flesh-Eating Spiders

_A week of competition wasn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be. The whole week we have been competing to answer questions first in class. I think the professors are going to have an intervention with us to make sure we are really the same teenagers that interrupted classes and randomly threw things at people. McGonagall looked as though she was going to have a heart attack. Not that I want my head of house to have a heart attack, but it was quiet amusing. So horrible of me._

_Remus and August are amazingly smart, so they answered questions with ease. Potter and Sirius were really intelligent, who would have thought? Then again, Potter gave cheek when he answered the questions. What an idiot. Then there was Rhia and myself. We were semi-smart and answered most of our questions correctly. Sometimes, Rhia just raised her hand to a question she didn't even hear. Then a professor would call on her, and she was stuck. Argh, I smacked her over the head at least fifty times for that._

Lily stopped writing abruptly when she heard a tapping on glass. Ambling over towards the window, a strange raven owl lingered outside with a note tied around its foot. The redhead opened the window and untied the letter. The owl hooted briefly before souring off. Emerald eyes wandered down to look at the letter to see 'Mirages' written across it. Rolling her eyes, Lily opened the letter and read:

_Saucy Scarlett, Feisty Claws, and Moonshine,_

Saucy Scarlett, Feisty Claws, and Moonshine? Those were the names the 'Marauders' gave them? Lily wanted to beat them severely. The idiots! They had the nerve to call her 'Saucy Scarlett'? She wasn't _saucy_ per say. Okay, so many just a little, but they didn't have to point it out.

_Tonight at midnight, the first challenge will be underway. It is suggested to wear something dark and sexy. At midnight – exactly – the challenge will begin so if you are late then you automatically have to sit out the challenge with one less team member. Teams Marauders and Mirages will meet by Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Make sure you have your wand and a way to communicate with your fellow teammates._

_With much love,_

_Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

Rhia barged into the dormitory with a gleeful look on her face. She was rambling about a Ravenclaw who had asked her out. Lily looked oddly at her best friend. What happened to Sirius? The boy she had been head over heels for ever since the prefect could remember. What happened? Then a sickening feeling filled Lily's stomach, Black must have done something unforgivable.

"He's _gorgeous_, so scrumptious," Rhia rambled on. "To think that I never noticed him before now!"

"What happened to Sirius?"

"Sirius? Sirius Black?" the dark-haired girl asked in confusion. "What about him?"

"You don't love him anymore?" Lily inquired.

"Love him?" she laughed. "It was merely an infatuation with him. His hair, teeth, body, eyes, and everything else… it was pure lust. By the looks of it he had a pretty nice package too, my darling Scarlett."

"Eww, don't call me that! In addition, double eww for saying that you lusted over Sirius. Triple eww for admitting that you have gazed at his pants!"

_Feisty Claws_ raised her eyebrow elegantly into the air with a quizzical look etched upon her face. A sardonic smirk then spread across her face, and Lily immediately wanted to run. It was going to be a very disturbing talk – the redhead was sure. Whenever her best friend got that sinful glint in her eyes and mordant leer on her face, it meant trouble. The tall teenager walked over towards her best friend's bed and sat down next to her.

"Sirius and I could never be an item, you see, cats and dogs do not mix."

Narrowed emerald eyes stared to Rhia. The girl usually wasn't cryptic, but Lily had the feeling that the raven-haired girl knew something that nobody else did – well, nobody else outside of the 'Marauders' knew. It had to be more than just the Halloween costumes that Rhia was talking about.

"Did he have sex with you and then dump you like a piece of lint?" Lily asked abruptly.

Now, Lily didn't mean to ask that. It was a thought that flashed through her mind, and she immediately went with it. It wasn't a secret that Sirius Black slept with girls at Hogwarts, it was actually expected. That boy made every girl go crazy. Hell, even Lily thought he was gorgeous – not that she would ever date the boy but nobody could deny he was good looking.

"Why would you think that?" questioned Rhia.

"Because all guys are whores?" Lily asked with an unsure smile planted on her face.

"Sometimes I utterly worry about you, Lils."

"So who is the Ravenclaw?" Lily changed the subject.

"Leopold Northumberland."

"Well, it's nice to know that there are still fun last names like Northumberland."

"Lily… I really like Leo."

"I'm sure you do," Lily replied aloofly. "Or you're just loving him to make Sirius Black jealous."

"If you must chose between two guys, pick the one who've never stalked before."

"What great knowledge," Lily said cheekily, "you should really write a book."

Rhia's blue eyes glanced over her friend before strolling away from her best friend's bed. Lily opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. Instead, the redhead folded the note from the 'Marauders' into a paper airplane and threw it at Rhia. It hit the girl in the back of the head. The girl whipped around with a scandalized look on her face.

"Owe! What was that for?"

"It's from the boys," Lily replied innocently.

Rhia reached down, picked up the letter, and read it through. A smile crept up upon her face with every word she read. After she was done, Rhia tossed the letter onto August's bed. The dark-haired girl then dug through her trunk looking for something. It was then that she pulled out three hardcover books.

"What are those?" requested Lily.

"These are enchanted diaries."

"Eww," the redhead pulled a face, "what exactly are enchanted diaries?"

"My mum gave them to me, telling me to give them to you and August for Christmas," Rhia started. "Basically my dad bought them. Say I wrote something in the diary, well, you and August could read it in your diaries because the diaries are enchanted to read one another."

"So that's how we're going to communicate tonight?"

"Exactly," Rhia smiled.

Lily fingered one of the diaries; it was Slytherin green with a silver binding. Pale fingers opened the book to see what appeared to be regular lined paper. Lily flipped through the pages until she came to the back of the diary. There was a page at the very end that had two columns. One column was entitled 'Date' and the other 'Event'. The prefect closed the diary and looked over at her best friend who was currently taking out pens from her trunk. _Why does a Wizard have pens,_ Lily thought.

At eleven thirty, the three girls snuck their way out of Gryffindor Tower, being extremely careful not to be caught by Filch. Just in case, Lily had pinned her prefect badge onto her blazer. Each girl had put on a pair of jeans, a top, and a jacket of some sort. They had all put on the darkest clothes they could find in their wardrobes. Each of the 'Mirages' held the Slytherin diaries under their arms with a pen stuffed in their pant pocket.

August had enchanted the diaries to grow hot whenever someone wrote into it; so that the girls would immediately know they had been communicated. The girls were ready for whatever the 'Marauders' were about to throw at them. Lily was slightly nervous, but the teenager tried her hardest not to let it show.

They reached the pumpkin patch to see that all four boys were sitting on the pumpkins. Sirius and James were each playing with handheld mirrors in their hands. Remus looked slightly nervous while Peter looked as though he was about to spend a penny in his pants. The girls walked closer to the boys when Sirius saw them walking causally towards him.

"Oy, glad you came early!" Sirius shouted with a wave. "We wanted to explain what was going on."

"What are we doing out here?" August inquired. "We were almost caught at least three times!"

"Really?" James raised his eyebrows in the air in surprise. "We snuck out without any problems, Diefendorf."

"That's because you have an Invisibility Cloak, Potter!" Rhia snapped.

"Hey! Hey!" Sirius shouted. "We have sodding nicknames for a reason!"

Everyone turned to look at Sirius. August cracked a smile while Rhia chuckled softly. James looked slightly taken back for several seconds before bursting out in a grin. Remus was smiling knowingly. Peter was laughing as though Sirius had just said the funniest thing ever. Lily rolled her eyes and figured this was the perfect opportunity to declare how much she hated her nickname.

"Speaking of nicknames, why am I _Saucy Scarlett_? It's absolutely dreadful!"

"If you don't like that name, we can always call you Poppet," Sirius suggested with a smirk.

"No! No! No! I want to be _Lily_," the girl stressed.

"Too bad," James snapped, "we all have nicknames so you do too."

The redhead whipped her head to look at James Potter. Her eyes narrowed at the arrogant teenager. Lily would like nothing more than to chop the boy's cocky head off his shoulders. The redhead gripped her wand and was just about to curse him when Sirius stepped into her view with a warning look on his face.

"What would you like to be called?" Sirius compromised.

"Lily."

"That's impossible. Pick something fun and exciting."

"Lily."

"That's dull and stupid."

"_You're_ dull and stupid," Lily retorted.

No one was going to win the argument. Lily wanted to keep her name, for she liked it. Sirius wanted to call her something ridiculous like 'Poppet', 'Saucy', and 'Scarlett'. The prefect was seriously considering cursing her friend to Timbuktu.

"How about Big Red?" Sirius proposed.

"The gum?" Lily questioned. "Eww, no, it's really good, but it burns my tongue. I'm not going to be called something that causes me bodily harm."

"Big Red is a gum?"

"How about we don't argue about this right now and get on with explaining what we're doing out here before Hagrid catches us," Remus spoke up for the first time that evening.

There were several comments of agreement. Sirius and Lily instantaneously stopped their bickering. Everyone turned to Remus expectantly. The lanky teenager sighed before he started explaining what was going on. He explained how everyone was to stay in the Forbidden Forest for twelve hours. Everyone who stays in the whole twelve hours gets fifty points each. Those who leave before twelve hours get sixty points deducted for not participating in a competition. Each team was to find interesting things in the forest, the more unusual the object the more points they got. It was sort of like an unofficial, no rules scavenger hunt.

"That's crazy!" Rhia exclaimed once Remus had finished. "There are werewolves and vampires and icky creepy crawlies in there!"

"It's not a full moon, so werewolves wouldn't be in there," Peter pointed out as Remus paled considerably.

"We could die," Lily remarked. "There's a reason it's called the _Forbidden_ Forest after all."

"Plus, Professor Dumbledore always, _always_, says that no student is allowed in there!" August exclaimed, "especially in the dead of night!"

"Listen, there are really only two things that will kill you in there," Sirius explained.

"Oh, only two things!" Lily shouted sarcastically. "You really made me feel so much better! God, you're such an idiot, Black!"

"Don't go yelling like that, Evans!" James hissed. "We'll be caught and get a month worth of detention!"

"Hey now!" Sirius interrupted. "Listen, Poppet, there are only the abnormally large spiders and the centaurs to worry about."

"'Abnormally large spiders'?" Rhia inquired with a slightly frightened tone.

Rhia had a horrible fear of spiders; it was so pathetic. Lily used to have one when she was a little girl, but had gotten over it as she grew up. It figures that Rhia would still be scared of spiders since the teenager acted like a child a little too often.

"Yes, see one and you _have_ to go the opposite way," Remus enlightened. "Aragog will rip you to shreds. Almost killed us back in third year."

"Oh, boys, that was memorable," Sirius spoke wistfully. "We showed them last month though, huh?"

"Argh, it took forever to clean my antlers," James said disgusted. "It was so nasty."

"Antlers?" August questioned with a confused look on her face.

"Never you mind," Sirius declared sternly. "Never you mind."

"So are you in?" asked James.

Lily looked at Rhia and then August. They seemed confidant. Rhia seemed a little too excited about the whole thing. The redhead took a deep breath and her eyes wandered over James Potter. The boy stood there as though this was going to be the funniest thing in the history of the world. Sirius stared at the prefect waiting for her answer. Slowly – very slowly – Lily nodded her head in agreement.

The boys led the girls deep into the forest. Everyone had lit their wands and kept their eyes wide open. Lily's knuckles were white from holding her wand so tight. There was a soft pop somewhere from behind the girls, which they all jumped and turned around. Peter and Sirius had been walking behind them, but Peter was now gone. Sirius crouched down to the floor, picked up a shaking rat, and plopped it into his pocket.

"What? The little bugger was scared," Sirius said innocently.

"Where's Peter?" August questioned.

"Went off that way," the boy spoke aloofly as he waved his hand to the right.

"Aren't we supposed to stay together?" Rhia asked.

"No, no, we're all going to split up soon to start the hunt."

That was the truth. Ten minutes later, when they were in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, everyone started going in opposite directions. Lily walked aimlessly around the forest, not having the faintest idea where she was going. Every time she saw an exotic looking flower or plant, she picked it. Having nothing to put her findings in, Lily transfigured a rock into a purse.

A good hour later, Lily sat down on a huge stone. Her purse was filled with interesting things she found in the forest plus the diary. Sleep itched her stunning emerald eyes, but the prefect didn't dare sleep out in the forest. She wanted so badly to hex the boys for making this a challenge. It was irresponsible, idiotic, and just plain stupid. It was dark and dreary, and quite scary. Lily tried not to think about why the forest was forbidden, because if she did she just might lose her Gryffindor bravery.

Then what happened made the redhead apprehensive. There was a slight clicking noise coming from behind her. Counting to three, the teenager turned around to see complete darkness. She lifted her wand high above her head and squinted to see where the noise was coming from. The clicking noises scurried over towards her right, which made the redhead jump up and whip around.

The biggest spider Lily had ever seen was standing there. It was the size of a huge dog. The prefect walked backwards as she tried to remember what Sirius had said to do if any of them encountered a huge spider. She wracked her brain, but the answer just wouldn't come to her. Lily tripped over a rock and landed flat on her bum as the spider inched towards her. It was then that several others started emerging from around her. It was then that the redhead screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping that someone was nearby to help her. The scream only made the spiders angry, and they dashed towards her.

It was then that a whoosh of black started diving at the spiders. Lily didn't look; she covered her hands over her head as a wave of nausea came over her. A couple minutes later, a wet nose touched the girl's pale hand. Lily looked up to see a beautiful, black stag standing above her. The creature's eyes were an odd hazel; and even stranger, the animal had rings around his eyes as if it were wearing glasses.

The stag nudged the redhead again, as if trying to tell her to get up. Lily did so, swaying towards one side. The prefect grabbed an antler only to withdraw it quickly. The girl reached down to pick up her wand to take a look at the animal. The antlers were covered in spider guts. Wiping her hand on her jeans, Lily glanced around to see about six dead spiders all over the ground.

"Thanks," Lily told the animal as she walked with it away from the dead spiders.

The Gryffindor started to laugh. She was talking to an animal as though it could understand her. The stag's hazel eyes were watching her intensely with what looked like a smirk on his face. _Animals can't smirk_, Lily told herself. The redhead stopped suddenly and sat down on the floor. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt very sick and exhausted. The stag nudged her as though it were telling her this wasn't a good idea.

"I can't walk anymore," Lily whined to the stag. "I fell like I'm about to purge, my feet hurt, my butt hurts, and I'm horribly tired. I don't want to do this. It's stupid and dangerous. I just want to strangle Black and Potter now for this stupid idea. Stupid boys. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid -"

Lily's ramblings ceased, the stag looked at her curiously. He bent down and motioned his head towards his back. The redhead eyed the stag. She then asked the stag if he would carry her. Oddly enough, the stag nodded his head. Lily half crawled towards the stag as she straddled herself on his shoulders. The stag stood up and started to carry her away from the flesh-eating spiders.

"Stupid Black. Stupid Potter," Lily mumbled.

The stag carried her for about twenty minutes before stopping. Lily slid off the animal and landed on the ground, groaning for she hurt her bum even more. The stag laid down on the ground, resting his head on his two front legs. Lily – whose fatigue was becoming overwhelming – laid down on the floor and rested her head on the stomach of the creature.

"I'm going to make a thankless, no sleep task like this that will make Potter and Black wish they never did this," Lily yawned as her eyes started to droop. "Can't even go to sleep," Lily yawned again as her eyes closed, "will get eaten by abnormal spi…"

The next thing that Lily knew was someone was touching her face – her nose to be exact. The redhead swatted at the hand and muttered something about Rhia. A male chuckle erupted. An emerald eye cracked open to see a grinning Sirius Black standing above her. The redhead groaned and buried her face into… something… hairy?

"AHH!"

Lily jumped back to see what her head was resting on. She sighed in relief when she noticed the stag she met last night resting peacefully on the floor with his eyes drooping slightly. Another chuckle came from Sirius, who was immediately slapped on the arm by Lily.

"You! You bloody idiot!" Lily screeched. "My vulnerable flesh almost got eaten by monolithic human-eating spiders!"

Sirius laughter immediately faltered. His pale eyes then glanced over at the stag. The two seemed to be communicating with each other, and a look of understanding flashed across the boy's face. He nodded solemnly and turned back to Lily.

"I told you to stay away from the centaurs and spiders," he said flatly.

"Well, it's kinda hard to do that when you have no idea where the huge spiders live!"

"You meet Aragog?"

"Who is Aragog?"

"The mother spider," Sirius said indifferently as though it was common to meet huge spiders.

"NO! I didn't meet the mother spider!" Lily snapped.

"Good thing this adorable, little stag found you," Sirius said fondly as he patted the animal's shoulder.

"I really despise you right now."

"Thanks, I love you too."

"What time is it?"

Sirius pulled back his jacket's sleeve to look at his watch. He then held it out for Lily to read. She grabbed his arm and jerked it towards her. It read 9:47. Damn. There was still time to go until they could all get the hell out of the forest. Lily was mad, cranky, and seriously suspected that her "special little visitor" had come.

"I have to pee," Lily announced.

"Then piss over there," Sirius said as he waved a hand behind a tree, "I promise not to look."

"I'm a girl, Sirius, girls can't just piss anywhere."

"What a disadvantage."

Lily narrowed her eyes and stormed off behind a tree. The redhead really had to go, but didn't want to go in the forest. She turned around and saw Sirius talking to the stag. Lily quickly did her business – while relieved to see that her "special visitor" hadn't came for a visit. The redhead walked back to Sirius to see that the stag was gone.

"Where'd the little deer go?" Lily asked.

"_Stag_, and I guess he didn't like me very much," Sirius shrugged.

"Whatever, he was so cute," the girl protested.

"Who's cute?"

Argh, James Potter in all his cocky glory came strolling towards Lily and Sirius. There was a goofy smile that looked foreign on his face. Usually his smiles were filled with laughter, but never goofy. No, goofy smiles were Sirius's thing.

"Sirius," Lily lied, "I was telling Sirius how cute he was."

"If I was a stag, then I guess I would be cute."

"Shut it, you retarded Poppet!"

"So you finally admit that we are meant to be each others Poppets? I love you too, Poppy. Hey! You're nickname can be Poppy – short for Poppet!"

"I don't care," Lily sighed. "Right now I have a killer headache, and I'm so worried about Rhia and August."

"If it makes you feel any better, I was with Rhia last night," Sirius commented.

"With Rhia? Doing what?"

"She slept while I kept watch, and she kept watch while I slept."

Lily nodded as she bent over and wrapped her arms around her growling stomach. She wondered about August, Remus, and Peter and if they were all right. Leaves crunched towards Lily's left and she saw Remus and August walking towards the small group of three. August held a basket in her hands and was swinging it.

"Darling!" a cheerful voice rang from behind Lily.

"Big-headed git!" Lily shouted back.

"Argh, wound me why don't you?" Rhia said in mock hurt as she sat down next to her best friend.

"Moony and I brought breakfast," August announced as she and Remus sat down on the ground.

"Where's Pete?" James asked.

"Pocketing around," Remus replied as a small rat peaked out of his pocket.

"Food! Remy, I love you," Lily smiled warmly as she waiting impatiently for someone to hand her food.

"Hey!" August protested. "What about me?"

"I love you too, Augie!" Lily exclaimed.

They ate in silence, which was weird tasting plants and oddly enough, sandwiches. Remus and August had the idea to summon sandwiches, which had flown through the Forbidden Forest – very subtle. Peter had come during the middle of breakfast, and hastily started eating his share of food.

"So what did everyone find?" Sirius asked right before he shoved half his sandwich into his mouth.

Everyone went on telling of the plants, rocks, and little things they had found all throughout the Forbidden Forest. Nothing was too appealing, for none of it was really valuable or wondrous. It was agreed then, that everyone would get the points based on staying in the forest for the whole twelve hours and nothing else. Lily thought it was an utter waste of time and comfort, for everyone had got the points – unless one of them ran out of the forest in the next two hours, which was highly unlikely.

The seven friends walked out of the forest together at around 12:30. Lily looked down at her rock purse to see that the diary was resting peacefully. There was an array of flowers she had kept also, simply because she liked the colors. As soon as they stepped out of the forest, several of them took out their scoreboards to see that fifty points had been added under the eight categories. The girls led the competition by a mere five points. It was 125 to 120.

Slowly friendships are breaking, and slowly friendships are growing. Those who you used to cry on are those you wish would never again see you at your worst. Lily is changing as she's going up, and her friendships are changing. One day, the seven teenagers who agreed to compete against each other will look back on the good times when the worst thing was teenage romance and not knowing why it hurts like hell. They would wish to be within the halls of Hogwarts and not out battling one of the greatest Dark Lords known to man.

Author's Notes – A little late, but that's okay. Take a minute and review to tell me what you think – by the way I really liked the two long reviews I got from Sarcastic Spastic and Danu3, I really enjoyed reading them. Thanks to Sarcastic Spastic and Sparkly-Tangerine for the name suggestions, you really helped as you can see. In a mere fifteen days, I will officially be a sophomore in high school, so the posts will slowly start to take longer to be posted. Goodbye freshman days and hello sophomore days!


	13. Prongs Saves Poppet

Chapter Summary –

"You've got quite a mouth on you," James pointed out as he adjusted his glasses, "and I don't _strut_. It's called walking, Evans, in case you haven't noticed. It's this newfangled idea where you place one foot in front of the other in order to get places."

Chapter Title – Prongs Saves Poppet

_How could this happen? How was this even planned? It seems so horrible, so wrong. How can you trust someone completely only to have your heart ripped out and thrown in the gutter like it was nothing? Why is there so much evil in the world? Why would anyone want to form an army to attack a group of students just wanting to have some fun? A couple people died – Rhia told me when I woke up. I just don't understand how this could happen. Let me take a deep breath, and I will write out everything that happened. That is if I can get it all out before breaking out in tears. I just don't understand, but here goes nothing…_

The competition was going on fabulously. The girls were still in the lead by a good fifty points. Sirius and James just couldn't stay out of detentions, and of course, whenever they got detentions points were deducted. What they lost in detentions, they tried to make up in class. They succeeded quite well, but were still dragging behind.

There wasn't another challenge like the one that had taken place in the Forbidden Forest. There was to be one each month, and December was the month that the girls' turn to form the challenge. Lily, Rhia, and August spent hours trying to figure out a fair but fun challenge. So far, the three friends hadn't come up with a single thing.

It was the first weekend in December, and that marked the third Hogsmeade trip of the year. Rhia had gotten a date with Leo Northumberland while Lily had gotten a date with Brent Paddock – who had been oddly straying away from his girlfriend for the past month. August had commented that she was going hang out _as friends_ with Remus Lupin. The girls all, essentially, had dates for the outing.

The air was freezing in December and was whipping across the students faces. Lily pulled her scarf up farther to protect herself from the bitter cold. The sky was dark and snowflakes were slowly cascading down from the clouds. The redhead unburied her face and stuck out her tongue to catch several snowflakes. Brent – who was fidgety and nervous – glared at her as she did so. The boy had looked increasingly paler and thinner than ever.

"What's up with you?" Lily questioned as the silence between them was deafening.

"Nothing," he snapped back.

Lily glanced over at him with a hurt look on her face. The Gryffindor covered her face up again and stopped eating snowflakes. What had been total bliss at the beginning of their relationship turned out to be utter agony. The two barely talked anymore about anything. It was painful to be together. It was as though Brent wanted nothing to do with Lily any longer.

The two treaded on in an awkward silence. They no longer felt comfortable around each other. Lily's first relationship had officially failed, and she didn't know what had happened. She blamed herself, for there was no one else to blame. _Too bad Petunia wasn't here_, Lily thought acrimoniously, _I could at least blame her for this_.

"Want a drink?" asked Brent stiffly.

"Whatever," Lily replied uninterested.

The two walked into the Three Broomsticks. Lily had walked towards the back of the pub to save a booth while Brent went over to order two drinks. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence as they drank their butterbeers. Brent seemed as though he were thinking about a thousands things at once, and that annoyed Lily even more. Why couldn't _she_ be one of the things he was thinking of? Was that too much to ask of? She was his girlfriend after all. _Though probably not much longer_, Lily thought bitterly.

The door to the pub opened and the ringleaders of the 'Marauders' came strolling inside. Sirius had practically ran to Madam Rosmerta as he exclaimed how much he liked her new glittery turquoise heels. She laughed with a smile playing on her lips as she pushed two drinks over towards James and Sirius. They clinked the mugs together and drained the contents.

Lily watched them laugh and joke together. She watched as Sirius put down his drink and sauntered towards the barmaid. The boy extended his hand to her. She laughed light-heartedly and grasped his hand. The two danced to no music, but laughed the whole time. Sirius dipped the young woman as she burst out in a fit of giggles. The two broke apart with huge smiles etched on their faces. Madam Rosmerta placed an arm around Sirius and gave him a friendly peck on the check.

The redhead smirked at Sirius – he was always so much fun. He never seemed embarrassed or self-conscious. Green eyes wandered over to James Potter, who was cheering as his best mate walked back over to his seat at the bar. Lily watched them interact. It was as if they were twins with the type of connection they held. It was impossible to think of one without thinking of the other. Many always commented that it seemed as though they were joined at the hip. It was never just James or just Sirius. It was always, _always_, James and Sirius.

Sometimes it didn't make sense that Lily liked Sirius as much as she did when she despised James. They had the same personality, the same sense of humor, the same everything. Their looks were the only thing that separated them. Sirius had a roguish handsome look about him, while James had an adorable little kid look to him. Girls swooned over both of them. Lily couldn't find herself to think of Sirius as anything but a wacky friend. Then James… Lily could picture herself standing in front of the boy, dancing with smiles upon their faces… but that would never happened. James Potter only cared about himself and no one else, therefore, Lily and James would never work together. Lily needed to be loved and cared about. She couldn't be used to boost the ego of some self-absorbed boy.

"Let's go," Brent broke the redhead out of her thoughts.

"Just because you want to go doesn't mean that I want to," Lily retorted with an annoyed tone.

"Fine," Brent exasperated, "stay behind and ogle at _Potter_."

"_What_?" Lily gasped. "You think I want to stay behind and look at that arrogant git?"

"That's what you have been doing the whole time, Lily," he snapped.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I simply want to sit in here – where it is warm – and finish my warm drink?"

"ROSMERTA, DARLING!" Sirius shouted kindly with laughter ringing in his voice. "Another mead, please!"

Lily snapped her head towards Sirius to see him smiling widely with his hand waving in the air. The barmaid briskly walked towards the two teenage boys and gave them two more drinks. She laughed at something James said and playfully hit his arm. She then pointed finger at him and jokingly waved it in front of him while laughing.

"See what I mean?" Brent said dryly.

"I – I wasn't _ogling_ at _Potter_," Lily stated.

"Okay, then you like Black, even better!" Brent exclaimed. "He's a filthy blood traitor so your bloods will mix real well."

"Our bloods?" Lily inquired.

"Yeah, dirty blood goes really well together," he spat.

The Gryffindor felt tears prickle her eyes. _Dirty blood_. It rang throughout her head and wouldn't stop. _Dirty blood_. _Dirty blood_. She felt dizzy and sick. Lily remembered once in first year when Theodore Nott, a seventh year Slytherin, had called her a 'filthy Mudblood' because she had asked for directions to the Transfiguration classroom. That was when she met August, and she had told Lily exactly what the foul term had meant. _"It's a foul term that old purebloods use," _August had stated at the age of eleven, _"it means that you have 'dirty' or 'tainted blood'. Most Wizards don't think that anymore, but… there are some who think that they are above everyone else."_

"Leave me alone," Lily choked on the words. "Get the hell away from me."

"Gladly," Brent smirked. "We only started dating for one reason, and after today, I won't be bound to it any longer."

Brent whipped around and walked towards the door. Lily picked up her butterbeer bottle and threw it at him. The bottle shattered against the wall, because Lily's aim was horrible. The Ravenclaw turned around to catch a glimpse at the redhead. The pub had grown eerily quiet and all eyes were boring into either Lily or Brent.

"Get out!" Lily shouted so loudly that she thought her throat was going to rip into two. "I hate you!"

Brent only laughed cruelly as he ambled out of the pub and slammed the door shut behind him. Lily gave out a dry sob and sunk into the cozy booth. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she buried her face into her legs. The redhead felt someone sit down next to her and place a comforting arm around her shoulders. She was pulled close to a body in a loving embrace.

"He was a jerk anyways," Sirius's voice whispered. "You deserve better."

Lily pulled away, wiping the back of her hand over her eyes. Sirius sat next to her, and James sat across from them. Lily wanted to scream in frustration for Potter to see her the way she was, but she didn't have the energy or the heart to do it at that moment. Instead, she simply told him, "Look, I only have a couple minutes to make an utter fool out of myself, but you have your whole damn life, so just shut up and leave me alone."

"I didn't say anything!" James protested.

"Not now, Prongs," Sirius warned him.

"Lemme go," Lily said as she pushed Sirius away from her. "I have to get out of here."

Sirius stood up and let Lily stumble past him. She ran towards the front door of the Three Broomsticks and burst through the doors. The Gryffindor adjusted her clothing around her body to become warm again. Lily leaned up against the brick wall of the pub and sighed heavily. _He's not worth it_, Lily told herself, _he's a bloody jerk_.

The door to the pub opened again, and James Potter walked out. He looked at Lily briefly before leaning up against the wall next to her. The boy looked as though he wanted to say something, but Lily didn't want to talk to him. James leaned in towards her as if she kiss her on the cheek only Lily ducked.

"Leave me alone, Potter," Lily said as she took a hand and pushed it into the side of the teenage boy. "I'm not in the mood for you and your jackass comments and actions."

"I don't understand why you just won't give me a chance," James sulked.

"Because you're nothing but a bullying toerag, and I can't stand the way you strut around the castle as if you own the sodding place!"

"You've got quite a mouth on you," James pointed out as he adjusted his glasses, "and I don't _strut_. It's called walking, Evans, in case you haven't noticed. It's this newfangled idea where you place one foot in front of the other in order to get places."

"See, that's what I'm talking about!" the redhead shouted. "You always have to poke fun of people or hex them as they walk by! I can't stand it! I've seen you in the hallways! You randomly point your wand at people and hurt them without even thinking about the person you're hurting! How would you like it if Snape hexed you every time you walked by him?"

"Snape does it all the time to me, so I do it back," he replied. "We just don't get along –"

"So you hurt each other? Real mature," Lily rolled her eyes. "Gosh, boys are such idiots."

Lily walked away from James and into the street of Hogsmeade. She was just about to go find someone she could actually talk to without getting horribly frustrated when she heard something. The wind muffled the noise, so Lily had to strain her ears in order to hear what the sound was. She heard it again, only clearer this time. People were screaming at the top of their lungs.

The redhead stood frozen in the middle of the street as students came dashing towards her. Tears were running down their ghastly pale faces. It was then that adults started strolling up the path with billowing black cloaks and white masks covering their faces. Lily had never seen anything like it. The masked figures held their wands up and shot spells at the students. Several fell down to the ground as they were hit and other screamed in pain.

"Lily!"

The redhead turned her head to the direction she heard her name being called. Brent Paddock came running towards her with a wand in hand. There was a look of malice shining in his eyes. He drew his wand up and pointed it at the Gryffindor. His mouth moved and a ray of light shot out of his wand. It collided with Lily's chest, and she fell back in intense pain. It felt as though her body was being ripped apart from the inside out. The pain was overwhelming. She couldn't see due to the tears running down her face. Everything was so blurry.

"Lily!" a familiar voice shouted frantically

A blurry James Potter came into view. Through the tears, Lily could see he was pallid and scared. His hands touched her stomach and the pain worsened. The redhead cried out for him to stop, but only an incoherent shriek escaped her lips. James pulled his hand away immediately.

Lily felt the boy pick her up into his arms and the pain increased again. Jets of light were flying everywhere. The redhead slung one arm over James's shoulder and the other hung limply. He turned and ran out of the street and towards a shop. Lily didn't exactly know what was going on, because her whole mind was numb due to the pain.

"I'm about to do something highly illegal and dangerous, but wait to yell at me until later, 'kay?" James asked but didn't wait for an answer.

Lily suddenly felt oddly strange. It felt like her whole body was being sucked through a tight hole. Her chest was tight and her face felt like it was going to concave in. Her head seemed it was going to implode and then… there was nothing. Her whole world had gone black. She could no longer hear nor see anything. It was comforting due to the fact that there was no more numb pain.

The next time Lily opened her eyes she was in the infirmary at Hogwarts. The room was spinning and voices were talking. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she knew that the headmaster was there. His voice was calming but at the same time unnerving. It was atypical, but Lily tried not to think about it.

"Miss Evans?" the headmaster's voice was clear now. "Are you okay?"

Lily started to shake her head 'no', but immediately stopped when a sharp pain shot up through her neck. She felt terrible. There was a sharp pain in her chest and stomach. Her head hurt, and her ears were ringing. She was tired and just wanted to be left alone. She didn't feel like talking or explain anything. She didn't want to even _think_ about what had transpired at Hogsmeade earlier.

"Would you care to explain what you saw?"

_Damn_, Lily swore in her head as the headmaster chuckled. Did he just hear her? Pushing those thoughts far from her mind, Lily opened her mouth only to find that a sharp pain shot through her jaw. Pain was so annoying and, well, painful. The redhead knew she was keeping Dumbledore waiting, but she didn't feel up to answering. She supposed she had to though.

"We were attacked."

Lily hated how her voice sounded. It was all scratchy and hoarse. The headmaster handed her a goblet of water and told her to drink. That was easier said then done. Her neck and jaw throbbed as she lifted her head to tip the contents in her mouth. Then when the redhead swallowed, the water burned all the way down her esophagus – perhaps it wasn't even water at all. Lily didn't know nor did she care. The Gryffindor sighed in frustration as she leaned back on her pillows in pain.

"Do you know who attacked you?" the headmaster asked kindly as McGonagall and Flitwick came into view.

"I don't know," Lily lied as her voice started to sound a little more normal and the ringing became faint.

"Mr. Potter said it was Brent Paddock of Ravenclaw," the headmaster said with a frown. "Can you concur that?"

Lily closed her eyes and groaned in her head. Of course, Potter wanted to get Paddock expelled. Why did she care though? Paddock was a jerk who broke up with her and then found it fitting to hit her with some stupid curse where Potter had to take care of her if she didn't want to die. Stupid Ravenclaws.

"Maybe," Lily replied as she opened her eyes. "Yes."

"Why do you suppose that Mr. Paddock took it upon himself to curse you while the village was under attack?"

"Because we just broke up?" Lily questioned herself. "I don't know. If you're trying to ask me if he was with those blokes with the masks, I can't answer you, because I don't know. He didn't have a mask on or anything – oh, by the way, who were those men?"

"They call themselves Death Eaters, Miss Evans."

Death Eaters. _Death Eaters_. Lily's heart sank. They worked for that dark lord who was coming into power. Oh, that was really fitting. Everyone was so uptight about this Lord Voldymelts and now he attacked the village. She could hear Rhia and August now. They would tell her how she shouldn't crack stupid jokes and take life so loosely. Argh!

"So they work for Lord Voldymelts?" Lily inquired to make sure her memory served her right.

McGonagall and Flitwick looked like they swallowed their tongues. Their eyes were wide and they were as pale as pale could be. What had she done wrong? The headmaster chuckled with a smile upon his face and his eyes twinkled. The old man reached a wrinkled hand out and gently patted Lily's messy curls.

"His name is Voldemort," Dumbledore commented with his smile still intact, "though I do like your adaptation of Voldymelts."

"Oh," Lily said as she blushed, "I didn't know I was saying it wrong. I only heard it once and well –"

"There's no need to explain," Dumbledore chuckled again as he held up his hand. "Misses Cromwell and Diefendorf as well as Mister Lupin are outside having a fit over you. They are very anxious to see you. Misters Black and Potter are currently harassing poor Madam Pomfrey on your condition. Should I allow them entry or do you want to sleep?"

Lily wanted to say sleep, but guilt stopped her from doing so. Her friends were probably really worried about her, and it was unfair to make them wait until tomorrow to talk to her. It was weird to hear Potter was out there waiting for her as well, what did he care if she lived or died?

_He saved your life._

**So? Probably did it to get attention.**

_Do you honestly think he'd risk his own neck just for attention? He could have died._

Made it all the more worth wild, didn't it? People are probably calling him a hero, and he's as happy as happy can be with all the attention he's receiving.

_If that was the case, then why is he outside with your friends asking about how you are doing?_

Damn. Lily hated when that little voice outsmarted her. The redhead told the headmaster to let her friends in. The three professors walked out of the hospital wing. Two girls and three boys came rushing inside. Rhia was the first at her bed, and she sat down on the edge of the bed carefully. The others lingered directly behind her.

"I don't know whether to cry with happiness that you're alive, or kill you for making me worry so much," Rhia whispered.

"I'll take the former of the two," Lily whispered back.

"You have to stop doing this," August told her.

"Yeah," Rhia agreed, "first the whole thing with Gorgeous Tights and now the whole Hogsmeade thing. I think I grew a couple gray hairs."

"You'll look cute with gray hairs," Lily commented. "Look at Remy, he's pretty cute with his."

Lily forced a smile in Remus's direction. He smiled shyly back. Sirius and James both laughed – though James's was a little forced. Rhia told her all about what happened at Hogsmeade. Death Eaters had stormed the place and started attacking students. Only two had died and a shopkeeper had passed as well. There were about ten students rushed to St. Mungo's and several were brought to the infirmary. No one knows why the Death Eaters attacked, but it seemed like they wanted something in the village, for not that much damage was done. After an hour of chatting, Madam Pomfrey shooed everyone out, saying that Lily needed to regain her strength. The redhead was grateful, since she just wanted to close her eyes and sleep forever.

No one would ever really know what had happened at Hogsmeade that day. It was on that day, however, that students starting turning against each other. Lily would never trust anyone ever again in fear of being hurt. The people that she was already close to would slowly start to drift apart. The ones that Lily was only acquainted with would start to be the ones who would be there when she needed a shoulder. Five years from now, Lily Evans Potter would reflect on how she grew so far apart from Rhia and August in the next couple of years. She would also reflect that she was happy that she grew closer to Remus, Sirius, and eventually James. She would hold her son in her arms and wish for the darkness to be gone, for she didn't want him to live through the trials she had to.

Author's Notes – This took longer than I expected, but I couldn't get the chapter like I wanted it. I still didn't, but I thought I might as well post it for I'll never get it the way I want. I'm so self-conscious now on how I write my characters. Someone from a different site had left an anonymous review about this story saying it was a good plot, but I write the characters horribly. I hope I don't write them horrible. I actually liked how I portrayed them. Please take the time to review, because you did take the time to read it (it's the nice thing to do!). The following reviewers have messages at my livejournal: darkdestiney2000, lxlriotgirlx, megaroony, Elspeth Renee, and sarcastic spastic. Thanks for the reviews to everyone else who just told me they enjoyed the story.


	14. Drunken Kiss

Chapter Summary –

"You know, it sounds as though you and Potter are secretly shagging," Lily said jokingly.

"Oh no!" Sirius exclaimed playfully. "You now know our most scandalous secret!"

Chapter Title – Drunken Kiss

_I always knew looking back on the tears would make me laugh but I never knew looking back on the laughs would make me cry._ _It's so funny how I can hate Brent, but I feel sorry for him. I learned his true side, and yet I can't stop but thinking it was my fault that he did what he did. I can't help but feel that I drove him to his actions. Everyone's telling me that I did nothing wrong, and I was right to refuse to see him any longer. They say he was wrong for attempting to harm others and myself, but maybe if I was just a little more compassionate… a little easy going. I hate this feeling. I hate the doubts. I hate that James Potter had to see me like that. I hate how James Potter saved me. I hate how I owe Potter for saving my life. I hate how I owe Potter a Wizard's Debt._

"Lily?"

_I hate how my friends now treat me as if I'm made of glass, as if I'm weak. I hate being vulnerable. I hate how I trusted him. I hate how I kissed him. I hate how I hugged him. I hate how I clung to him. I hate how I love him. Most of all, I hate myself._

"Lily?"

_I wish I could just run away and never come back. I wish nobody knew. I wish… too many things. So goodbye to you, Brent Paddock. Goodbye to and all of your backstabbing, harsh words, and lies._

Lily stuffed her journal under her mattress and slowly peeked her head out from behind the curtains, which were drawn around her bed. The redhead had just gotten out of the infirmary that morning. The only person in the room was Rhia, who seemed to be nervous, sad, and angry all at the same time. The dark-haired girl made her way over to her best friend's bed and sat down on it. Lily, who was grateful for her friend, laid down on the bed with her head in Rhia's lap.

"Nothing is more painful than realizing he meant everything to you but you meant nothing to him." Lily's voice was tense. "I was just his chess piece in a huge, complicated game."

"You were too good for him," Rhia said firmly.

"Funny, that's what Sirius said."

"Sirius is a smart man."

"Man?" Lily snorted. "Sirius isn't a man. He's more like a little boy."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Rhia whispered as she fiddled with a lock of red hair. "He just might throw a fit."

"I hate romance. It's too complicated and not worth it. You don't learn the difference between holding hands and falling in love until it's too late. You don't learn fast enough that kisses don't always mean something and promises can be broken just as quickly as they are made. The saddest of them is that some people aren't how you thought they were. That they could be twisted and cruel."

"Just a little mellow dramatic. Don't you think, Lily?"

"You just wish you could be as deep and as cute as me, Rhia," Lily spoke softly as several tears escaped from her eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?" Rhia brushed a piece of hair behind Lily's ear.

"I plead contemporary insanity."

"Lily, I'm serious. Are you going to be all right?"

"I don't know why I'm so upset about him! I don't know why I'm crying."

"Because what you thought you knew really wasn't what you knew at all."

"I hate myself," Lily gasped in a sob. "I hate myself for ever loving him."

Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that. Lily had cried herself to sleep on her best friend's lap as Rhia just leaned up against the headboard. It wouldn't be before long that Rhia too had fallen asleep. Neither of them knew it at the time, but there would be a time in their lives when they wouldn't trust each other like they did when they were teenagers. They would both figure out in a couple years that best friends could become strangers.

Lily had woken up with a feeling of newfound strength. She picked her head up and looked over at Rhia, who was fast asleep. The redhead crawled out of bed and looked out the window. It was completely dark outside except for the stars twinkling. In two days time, the moon would be full. Lily turned towards her dresser and pulled out a green zip up sweater. She slipped it on. She then grabbed a brush and tied her hair back messily.

Lily took one last look around the dormitory before leaving her dorm mates to sleep. She made her way down to the common room to see Sirius Black sitting in a chair gazing into the dying fire.

"Wishing the fire was Madam Rosmerta?" Lily inquired as a smile spread across Sirius's face, but he didn't look at her.

"She _is_ the secret love of my life," Sirius replied.

"I'm hurt," the girl pouted, "I thought I was the love of your life."

"You are," the boy said as he turned to look at Lily. "Rosmerta is my _secret_ love."

"You know you are the only one who can make me smile when I feel like I've been run over by a train," Lily said sincerely.

"Imagine your life without me... miserable, eh?" Sirius smirked. "Honestly though, I'm glad I make you smile."

"I still think you're a bigheaded idiot," Lily declared with the smile still etched on her pale face.

"Yes, well,I still think you enjoy dancing... in you underwear," Sirius replied with a smile etched onto his handsome face.

"Oh, really? How do you know that? Are you a peeping tom?"

"Some call it stalking, but I call it love, Poppet."

Lily burst out laughing. It felt so good to actually laugh after what had transpired at Hogsmeade. She felt like she could talk to Sirius, and he would listen. She felt like she could joke with him and just laugh until they wet their pants. Lily walked over towards the boy and sat down on his lap. Sirius tenses slightly but soon relaxed.

"Thank-you," Lily whispered.

"For what?"

"For being you and making me laugh."

An odd expression crossed Sirius's face, one that Lily had never seen before. It looked foreign on his face. His brows knitted together. His mouth was slightly hanging open, but the corners were turned up. The boy wrapped an arm around the girl's waist and pulled her close to his chest.

"I think that we're going to be great friends, Lily Evans," Sirius whispered.

"We already are," Lily whispered back.

"Good to know where we stand, and now I'm going to bed."

"Don't… please? Stay up with me and talk? Or we could just stare at a wall? Or count the bricks in the fireplace fifty times?"

Sirius laughed, "That sounds like oodles of fun."

Their conversation had lasted a half an hour. They had talked about everything from classes to the competition. They talked about teachers and detention. It was fun talking to Sirius. He could put anyone at ease. The conversation then turned to Hogsmeade and James Potter. It was uncomfortable for Lily, but she tried not to show it.

"Do you know what kind of spell hit you? Are you still hurting from it?"

Every time the spell was mentioned, Lily's insides churned and her chest burned. She had remembered when Madam Pomfrey had told her she was hit with a spell that had carved a hole in her. She remembered when her friends told her that she was caked in blood. It made her think of how evil magic could be. How evil wizards could be. With all of the power that wizards hold, how could they torture and murder?

"Nothing really," Lily lied, "I just have this red circle where the spell hit, but it'll probably fade. I don't know what spell it was – well, I do, but I forget what Dumbledore told me."

"James told you to stay away from him," Sirius pointed out.

"Yes," she said slowly, "now he can tell me 'I told you so' for the rest of my life and make me feel like a fool."

"He wouldn't do that."

"He's arrogant enough to do that."

"Listen," Sirius snapped, "James isn't as bad as you think he is. Sure, he thinks he's the best thing that ever happened to Quidditch. True, he likes to hex Snivellus and other Death Eater's kids. Yeah, James is sorta haughty because he's been praised his whole life by his parents. He's nice to those he loves though. He protects people he loves. He's very witty. Honestly, Lily, I think that I would be an utter mess without him. Ever since I was eight, James has been my best friend. He gave me the family I never had."

Lily stared at Sirius, not knowing what to say. He only ever called her Lily when he wasn't joking. Sirius talked so fondly of James. His voice was always filled with love and pride whenever a conversation perked about his best mate. Lily wished that she could talk with that kind of affection, but she couldn't. There was no one that she loved enough to do that.

"Sirius…" Lily trailed off.

"Give him a chance," he spoke. "It'll surprise you how wonderful he actually is."

"You know, it sounds as though you and Potter are secretly shagging," Lily said jokingly.

"Oh no!" Sirius exclaimed playfully. "You now know our most scandalous secret!"

Lily rolled her head back in laughter. She slapped him lightly on the arm. They sat in silence for several minutes thinking of whatever it was that teenagers thought about. It wasn't until Sirius yawned loudly that Lily suspected that he was dead tired. She leaned forward and kissed Sirius gently on the temple. Biding him goodnight, the redhead walked up the stairs to her dormitory. She collapsed down upon Rhia's bed – since she was still sleeping in hers– and Lily immediately fell asleep.

The next day brought on great excitement. It was a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Lily never really cared for Quidditch – for she never understood the point of it – but she had promised Sirius earlier that morning that she would watch him play. This was probably the third Quidditch game she had ever attended in her years at Hogwarts.

The stands were crowded and the noise was deafening. Students sported house colors and huge signs. Lily sat in-between a cheering Rhia and a quiet Remus. August sat on the other side of Remus, and Peter sat on the other side of Rhia. Lily placed her hands over her ears as the screaming continued. She thought she had lost some of her hearing by then.

"Today's going to be one hell of a match! Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" Cynric Alsop – a sixth year Hufflepuff commentator – spoke loudly into a microphone.

Lily's head turned towards the bottom right corner. The Gryffindors were going to be flying out at any second. Blurry dots shot up into the sky. They were a mix of scarlet and gold. She squinted her eyes to try to make them out but it was nearly impossible.

"The Gryffindor Chasers: Potter, Black, and Naffis! The Beaters: Lyndon and Sullivan! The Seeker: Vasser, and the Captain and Keeper: Longbottom!"

The Gryffindors stopped zooming and flocked in one area towards the middle of the field. Lily watched as Sirius and Potter talked to their fellow chaser Charlotte Naffis. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She didn't even hold onto her broom but she gesticulated in midair.

"The Slytherin Chasers: Rosier, Vrooman, and Cogswell! The Beaters: Lestrange and Captain Ollendorff! The Seeker: Lestrange, and the Keeper: Scarborough!"

The green and sliver blurs soon stopped flying and hovered across from the Gryffindor team. Frank and Ollendorff shook hands. Madam Hooch then released the Quaffle, and the game was on. Lily watched lazily as her fellow students zoomed by on their brooms. Several goals were scored, but she didn't really care. Alsop's commentary had been reduced to screaming. His voice rang throughout the whole stadium.

"POTTER THROWS TO BLACK! OH! INTERCEPTED BY COGSWELL! HE GOES UP TO SCORE BUT LONGBOTTOM BLOCKS!"

Lily looked sideways at Remus who was fiddling with a piece of his scarf. His blue lips shone on his pallid face. She turned to Rhia to see her best friend jumping up and down. She was cheering and screaming at the top of her lungs. Her face was alit with excitement.

"NAFFIS PASSES THE QUAFFLE TO POTTER, AND HE SCORES! GRYFFIDNOR 50 – SLYTHERIN 10!"

Rhia screamed when he scored. She flung her hands wildly into the air. Lily slouched down in her seat and pretended not to know her best friend – which was increasingly hard.

"OH! BLOODY HELL! THAT WAS A FOUL IF I EVER SAW ONE!"

Lily's head snapped to see that James Potter was clenching his arm with his face contorted in pain. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and called a foul on Rodolphus Lestrange. Charlotte Naffis was given the chance to do the penalty shot as Potter went off to Pomfrey to get his arm patched. Naffis scored just as Potter was put back in the game.

"VROOMAN PASSES TO ROSIER WHO PASSES TO COGSWELL WHO PASSES BACK TO VROOMAN WHO GET THE QUAFFLE BY LONGBOTTOM!"

Sighing, Lily leaned her head up against Remus's shoulder. The boy jumped slightly at the contact, but soon relaxed. His eyes were turned back to the game at hand. Lily could tell that Remus liked the game just as much as she did. They both found it pointless and stupid. More Quaffles were put through the hoops and more cheering was followed.

"BLACK DODGES A BLUDGER FROM OLLENDORFF AND GETS THE QUAFFLE RIGHT UNDER SCARBOROUGH'S NOSE!"

The Quaffle was passed back and forth between both teams. Gryffindor scored ten more times, and Slytherin scored twice. It was then that the two Seekers drove down at once to get the Golden Snitch. They collided with one another and both went tumbling off their brooms. A collective gasp filled the air. Out of nowhere, James Potter swept down and caught Julia Vasser on his broom. Rabastan Lestrange wasn't so lucky. He was plunging down quickly to the ground. A spell hit Lestrange, and he started to slowly float towards the ground.

The crowd cheered wildly at James catching Julia. The Seekers' brooms had fallen to the ground and broke into pieces. Julia Vasser positioned herself in front of James, and the two zoomed off. Charlotte Naffis and Sirius Black both scored twenty more points for Gryffindor.

"IT LOOKS LIKE POTTER IS GOING TO HELP VASSER GET THE SNITCH! LOOK AT HIM DIVE! POTTER SURE DOES KNOW HOW TO RIDE A BROOM!"

The broom with Potter and Vasser looked like it was going to dive right into the ground, but at the last second, Potter pulled it up. Vasser was almost completely off the broom with her hand stretched out in front of her. The broom sped up and then –

"VASSER CATCHES THE SNITCH! VASSER HAS THE SNITCH! GRYFFIDNOR WINS 510 TO 80!"

Everyone – excluding the Slytherins – was giving the Gryffindor Quidditch team a standing ovation. Lily even stood up and clapped for them. Rhia was jumping up and down screaming her lungs out. Remus and August were both cheering. The Quidditch team started to descend to the ground causing everyone to get out of the stands quickly. Rhia grabbed Lily's arm, and the two pushed their way through the crowd.

The two best friends raced onto the pitch and ran towards the seven players. Vasser was in Potter's arms. Alice Prewett had forced her way into Frank Longbottom's arms. Charlotte Naffis was positioned on Grant Sullivan's and Michael Lyndon's – the Beaters – shoulders. Lily ran up towards Sirius and enveloped him into a hug. He picked her up and swung her around in a circle.

"We won!" Sirius screamed into Lily's ear. "We won, Poppet!"

Lily – who was still being held in Sirius's arms – looked over the boy's shoulder to see Brent Paddock walking towards the castle. Her insides froze, and Lily suddenly became very sick. Sirius tried to put Lily on her feet, but she only held on tighter. _What was he still doing at Hogwarts?_ Lily thought anxiously. Brent's cold eyes caught Lily's emerald ones. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever until the Ravenclaw smirked wickedly before strolling off towards the castle.

"Lils? You okay?" Sirius whispered into her ear.

She couldn't get the words to escape her lips, so Lily only nodded her head against Sirius's shoulder. Her feet touched the ground, and the redhead immediately pulled back from the embrace. Her arms wrapped themselves protectively around her stomach.

Lily felt the hairs on her neck prickle. She turned around to see James Potter staring at her. He offered a small smile. His mouth opened as though to say something when somebody shouted, "PARTY IN THE COMMON ROOM!" There were sounds of agreement as the Gryffindors started dashing towards the castle.

"Hey," Sirius spoke gently as he touched Lily's arm, "I'm gonna go change, and then I'll meet you in the common room, 'kay?"

She nodded her head and forced a smile upon her face. Rhia draped an arm around her best friend and led her towards the castle. Lily turned back to see the Quidditch team walking towards the changing room – all but James Potter. He stood rooted in his spot with his eyes still boring into Lily. She turned away and rested her head onto Rhia's shoulder.

"What is Brent Paddock still doing here? Why isn't he expelled?" asked Lily.

"We didn't know if we should tell you or not," Rhia started, "but the Board of Governors wanted to expel him but Dumbledore refused to. He did have his prefect badge revoked and banned from all future Hogsmeade visits. He was kicked off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He's not allowed to talk to you or even so much look at you. I heard the professors were keeping a close watch on him."

"Why didn't Dumbledore want him expelled?"

"Dumbledore's just weird like that," Rhia replied with a shrug.

The two friends reached the common room to see that it was already decorated. There was a huge banner that read, "GRYFFINDOR RULES!" There was an animated picture of a lion roaring in the corner. The lion ran along the bottom of the banner until it ate a snake, clawed a raven, and pounced on a badger.

The portrait hole opened minutes later. The Quidditch team came sauntering in. A chant of, "GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR!" broke out. Students mauled the players in hugs and pats on the back. A couple seventh years entered with food and alcohol. Students started taking bottles and gulping down huge amounts. Lily figured they got it from the kitchens but didn't really care. She never drank in her life but the moment seemed right.

Grabbing a bottle of firewhiskey, Lily opened it and drained half the contents. It was foul tasting and burned all the way down her throat. She never wanted to purge more in her life then she did after consuming that alcohol. The room looked slightly fuzzy. Lily looked around the room and her eyes caught James Potter talking to Sirius Black. The redhead took another swing of the firewhiskey. She then stumbled towards the two best friends.

Lily tripped while right next to Sirius, who caught her around the arm. She slurred a thank-you as she waved the firewhiskey bottle in front of his face. She took another swing and felt even dizzier. James _– oh gorgeous James_ – touched her arm lightly.

"How long ago did you start to drink?" he asked.

"Couple of minutes ago," she replied as she stared into his face.

"She shouldn't be this drunk if she just started to drink," Sirius reasoned. "I mean I've probably drank more than her, and I'm not sick yet."

"What do you think happened?" inquired James.

"No sodding idea."

"She's a lot smaller than us –"

Lily blocked out what the boys were saying. She just stared at James's face. _He's so cute, but such an arrogant prick_, Lily thought. Before she knew what she was doing, before she could stop herself, before she could think about the consequences, before anyone could stop her – Lily Violet Evans of Windsor leaned forward and planted her lips onto James Potter's mouth.

The kiss was bittersweet. It sent shivers through Lily's body. It made her weak in the knees. The kiss felt oddly familiar but at the same time not. It was like fireworks and an orchestra playing. She wanted to suck face with him forever, but James pulled away and held her at arms length. It was then that Lily felt bile rise up in her throat. Turning her head, Lily spewed on the floor. Several heads turned to look at her in amusement.

"I'm uh – I'm gonna get her upstairs," James announced.

James put an arm around Lily's shoulder and helped her upstairs to his dormitory. The two walked into the messy dorm. James helped Lily over towards his bed. She laid down on the bed and snuggled under the covers. Soon she was fast asleep.

That was only the beginning of the rest of Lily and James's life. James would become even more cocky and start to ask Lily Evans out every chance he got. Lily would then turn him down every time. Lily's friendship with Sirius would grow as will James's jealousy. Nothing was ever easy and nothing would be easy. Life is life and you can't do anything about it.

Author's Notes – Sorry it's so late! Back in school, and this chapter was a bitch to write. Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers! I love you so much! Thank-you for all the support! Replies to several reviews are at my LJ. Those reviewers are: tomboy7439, Serious Fan, and sarcastic spastic


	15. December Mayhem

Chapter Summary – "We wouldn't work, Potter, because I'm not inflatable," Lily responded coolly.

Chapter Title – December Mayhem

_I feel dirty. I feel disgusted with myself. Did I actually do what I thought I did today? Argh, I feel like a dirty whore. No, wait, that's an understatement. I kissed him. I actually kissed him. I feel so filthy… so… tainted. A slut, that's what they are calling me now. The whole school, I'm dubbed Prefect Lily Evans the Slut. I'm not over exaggerating – or so Rhia and August tell me. They said it was unexpected and a little weird. I probably ruined our friendship forever, but at least Potter won't be following me around like a lost puppy like he has been for the past week. Let me tell you why I kissed that boy for I think you my reasons were good ones…_

"There's no way that this is happening," Lily Evans whined for the hundredth time as she stood next to Rhia with a look of pure disgust on her face.

Rhia held a sheet of paper about the Christmas Dance that was being held right before Christmas break. It was for fifth years and up. The prefects were required to attend with a date. A date! Who would Lily even go with? It was stupid. She didn't have a boyfriend anymore and so there was no one else to go with.

"James Potter will always take –"

The redhead's hand shot out and found it's way to Rhia's mouth. The prefect looked horrified at the idea of going with James Potter. Argh, James Potter, he thought he was so lovely, smart, handsome, and the best person on the face of the universe. God, she hated James Potter. Why couldn't he just be a normal person for once? Not to mention he had been acting weird around her ever since the Quidditch match, asking her out and asking for a kiss.

"Ew!"

Lily withdrew her hand from her best friend's mouth. Rhia had licked her! That was so disgusting. The redhead whipped her hand on her skirt and shot her best friend a nasty glare.

"Yum, I tasted Lily Evans."

"You make me sick."

Lily stepped towards her friend and drew her face next to Rhia. She then whispered in her best friend's ear, "You want to feel disgusting?" Before Rhia could utter a word in reply, the girl felt Lily's tongue going up her face.

"You sick, perv!" Rhia shouted as she whipped her cheek clean.

"Maybe Sirius Black will ask you to the ball."

"I've learned that you can't make someone love you, you can only stalk them and hope they give in to panic. Plus, I'm going with Leo."

"Ew."

"You go with Sirius," Rhia suggested.

"Double ew," Lily sighed. "Why would I go with Sirius?"

"Because you two seem cozy together, and you seem to be the only girl he'll talk to without shagging."

Lily groaned and made her way down to Gryffindor Common Room. James Potter saw her coming and immediately jumped up. Lily picked up her pace and practically ran out of Gryffindor Tower. Potter shouted after her, but she paid no attention. He ran to catch up with her; and when he did, he grab her by the elbow and turned her around so that she was forced to look at him.

"Lily, go to the Christmas dance with me."

It wasn't a question; it was a demand. The blood in Lily's body boiled. She wanted nothing more than to smack that cocky smile off James Potter's face. He didn't even have the courtesy to ask her. It's as though he thought he could boss her around.

"Sure, Potter," Lily said as she pulled a smile. "How about we go never? Is never good for you?"

"Wait," James shook his head in disbelief, "I don't understand.'

"Listen, Potter, I'm going to tell you how it is for real this time," Lily's face turned serious. "We would never work together. I'm just not your type."

"You are my type though," James protested. "You are my everything."

"I highly doubt that."

"You don't trust me?"

James looked hurt beyond belief more so than ever before. His right hand was clenching his school bag so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. The other hand was clenched loosely at his side. The bespectacled boy looked as though he was in utter anguish as he waited for her answer.

"We wouldn't work, Potter, because I'm not inflatable," Lily responded coolly.

"I don't understand," Potter sighed. "A week ago you kissed me and now you won't even –"

"What?"

Lily didn't believe what she was hearing. She had never kissed Potter before. Sure, there was that one night after the Quidditch game where she got drunk and passed out, only to wake up and find herself in the boy's dormitory, but she had never kissed Potter. Unless, when she was drunk, she kissed him. Lily groaned as several people started to gather around to watch the interaction between Lily and James.

"I was drunk, Potter," Lily explained. "People do stupid things when they are drunk. I didn't mean it."

"Lily –"

"Listen, I don't like you, and I never will. Just leave me alone!"

Lily, in her frustration and fury, turned around and saw Sirius Black walking towards her and James. Lily did the unthinkable, the thing that she never thought she'd do in her life. If it would piss off James Potter, then it was worth it. The somewhat respectable prefect strolled up to Sirius and grabbed the sides of his coarse face. The redhead forcefully pulled the boy's lips onto hers in a rough, deep kiss.

Students stopped in their steps, staring at the most popular boy in school kiss the well-liked prefect. Several girls were complaining and whining, wishing _they_ were the ones kissing THE Sirius Black. The girls felt hatred towards Lily Evans, envious of her. Lily pulled away to see the horrified, shocked look on Sirius's face. His eyes wandered up and looked past her. Lily followed his gaze seeing that he was staring at the very hurt and betrayed face of James. Lily felt good, quite good indeed.

She tapped Sirius playfully on the cheek before walking off to class with a bounce in her step. Lily stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Rhia staring at her with cold eyes. Lily opened her mouth to explain, but Rhia quickly turned and ran down the corridor. Lily turned back to see James and Sirius shouting at each other, James's wand clenched in his hand. She certainly made a mess of things.

Lily ran down the hallway until she collided with someone. Tumbling to the ground, she shot her hands back to catch herself. She heard a _snap_ as her wrist impacted on the floor. Lily gasped in pain as tears sprung to her eyes.

"Sorry!" a voice shrieked.

"Watch where you are going!" Lily hissed.

She sat up as she gripped her wrist in pain. There sitting across from Lily was Remus Lupin, who looked mildly surprised. Guilt then washed over Lily. She didn't mean to be so mean to the boy, but her frustration was growing every minute she spent with Potter.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a bitch," she declared as she held out her hand that wasn't hurting for her prefect partner to take.

"Didn't mean to get on your bad side," the boy replied cheekily.

"It wasn't you," Lily sighed. "It was that stupid friend of yours."

"Sirius?"

"No!" she protested. "Potter!"

"He's not that bad once you get to know him," Remus reasoned.

Lily pulled a face of mild disgust mixed with a glimmer of hope. She had secretly started to like James. He and Sirius were hilarious together. James was impeccably smart. He was handsome and seemed like a really good guy – that was when he wasn't acting like an utter jerk or hexing people, which was nearly all the time.

"Then why does he act like an idiot?"

"He doesn't mean to," Remus spoke slowly. "I think that he doesn't even realize that he's doing some… not so nice things half the time."

"He's a prat."

Remus said nothing. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. Of course, Lily didn't expect him to agree with her. James Potter was probably one of his first friends ever, and Remus wasn't about to turn his back on him. Then again, the werewolf wasn't going to disagree with her.

"Lily, you know what he did for me," Remus whispered.

"What did he do?" she inquired.

"You mean Sirius hasn't told you?" he asked confused. "They were talking about it right in front of you before we spent the night in the Forbidden Forest last month."

She thought back to that horrid night. She tried to envision the conversations that had went on. _"Argh, it took forever to clean my antlers"_, Potter's words rang through her head. Then on another occasion, she could hear Pettigrew whine, "_It isn't fair that you two worked on the Animagus transformation over the summer without me!"_ The stupid nicknames they had – Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail. It all made sense now. It was as though someone had finally placed a remaining piece into a very complicated puzzle.

"He's an illegal Animagus," Lily stated bitterly. "So are Black and Pettigrew. What are their forms?"

"James is a stag, Sirius is a dog, and Peter is a rat."

Ugh, Lily felt like screaming. The rat that had been in the pockets of Sirius and Remus the whole time in the Forbidden Forest – it was really Peter Pettigrew. She felt so stupid for not noticing all the clues before. She vaguely wondered if Rhia and August knew.

"You – you did know, didn't you?" questioned a fidgety Remus.

"Yeah," Lily admitted, "I just never pasted everything together until just now."

"Lily –"

"Don't worry about it, Remus," Lily brushed him off. "You want to walk to class together?"

Transfiguration went by slowly. Rhia had sat in the back with James and Peter. Remus was sitting with Sirius on the other side of the room. That left August and Lily to sit towards the front of the room. Lily moodily jabbed her wand into the goblet in front of her as she tried to transfigure it. Green eyes wandered over towards Rhia and James, who were both laughing together.

"Are you okay?" August inquired.

"Why wouldn't I be?" snapped Lily.

"Because you and Rhia always sit next to each other."

"We had a fight."

Lily groaned in frustration before jabbing her wand into the goblet once more. The collision caused the goblet to go flying off the desk and roll under McGonagall's desk. The professor looked up and narrowed her eyes at Lily before taking off five points. Lily got up to retrieve her goblet and went back to her seat.

"I know you kissed Sirius," August whispered as Lily sat down.

"So what?" she asked. "Rhia said that she didn't even like Sirius anymore. She said that she really likes this Leo Northumberland. Did you know that he took over Paddock's post as Ravenclaw prefect?"

"You know she's just trying to make Sirius jealous," August pointed out.

_You're such an ass_, Lily told herself as she gave her goblet a few more good jabs. August gave a loud, audible sigh before turning back to her work. Lily looked over at Sirius who looked as though he were trying to sleep – or maybe suffocate himself. She really couldn't decide.

"You know, I'll survive even if Rhia doesn't forgive me," Lily sounded unsure of herself. "I mean I've ran with scissors and survived to tell the tale. Pretty impressive, right?"

The rest of the day resulted in avoidance. Lily couldn't stand it. Rhia and Sirius were both avoiding her like the plague. Her heart broke when they sat down at the opposite side of the table at lunch and dinner. There was only one way to get them talking to her again, or so that she could think of. Lily was going to set the next competition tonight. Her mind raced all through dinner thinking of the perfect night.

A spur of inspiration hit her. She gave a cry of happiness as she flung her mash potatoes off the table. Lily told Remus and August of her plan, and both seemed hesitant at first. Seeing how excited Lily was, the two reluctantly agreed.

At eleven sharp, all seven students met in the Room of Requirements for what Lily called "Wizards Truth or Dare". She wanted to test people's bravery and honesty. She knew Rhia would ask her about the kiss, and it was the only way Rhia would listen to Lily. It was a sneaky competition.

Lily explained the rules. If you were asked a question, you had to place your hand on a jinxed ball. If you lied, the ball would turn a bright red. If you told the truth, the ball would turn a bright green. If a dare emerged, you had to do what they said – as long as it wasn't going to cause you to be put in prison or expelled. If you fail to do the dare then points would be deducted.

"This is stupid," Rhia stated loudly to James.

"It's fun!" Lily protested.

"For ten year olds," she snapped back. "We're fifteen and playing these foolish games. We're supposed to be proving who was better, boys or girls."

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm sixteen," Sirius pronounced as he puffed out his chest.

"It tests honesty and bravery," Lily explained with a frown. "Those are two of the most admirable traits a person can hold."

"Fine, I'll go first," Rhia declared. "Truth or dare, Sirius?"

"It's _Padfoot_," Sirius stressed. "We have sodding nicknames for a reason, so use them, Feisty. I'll go with dare."

"Kiss the person you love the most in this room."

Sirius's eyes wandered over towards Lily briefly before resting over on Rhia. He questioned where, and Rhia had replied on the lips. Sirius grinned a lopsided smile before crawling over towards Lily. The redhead closed her eyes and gave out a frustrated sigh when a male voice muffled, "Gah!" Lily opened her eyes to see Sirius pulling away from James. Both boys were wiping their mouths on their sleeves.

"I love you too, Prongsie," Sirius grinned.

Lily couldn't help but laugh along with Rhia and Peter. August and Remus snickered but didn't dare laugh aloud. James snapped at them to shut up before glaring over at Sirius. The best friends looked at each other before breaking out laughing. James pulled Sirius into a hug and all seemed to be forgotten.

"Moonshine, truth or dare?" asked Sirius as he turned his attention to the girl.

"Truth."

"If there was one guy you would want to spend the rest of your life with, who would it be?"

August placed her hand on the ball and looked around the room nervously. She bit her bottom lip and uttered a very soft, "Remus." The boy shifted uncomfortably with a blush heating up his cheeks. August turned her attention quickly to James.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Do you study?"

"What type of question is that?" Sirius proclaimed. "We're supposed to be getting each other's dirty secrets!"

"I do study," James admitted as the ball turned green. "I just don't like people to know I study. Evans, truth or dare?"

Lily snapped her head towards James Potter, whose face was unreadable. She had a pretty good idea what the dare would be and what the question would be. There was no way out of the situation she had made for herself. Lily chose truth and held her breath while she waited for the question.

"Do you like Sirius?"

"No," Lily answered as the ball turned red under her hand. "Well, I like him but I only like him as a friend."

The ball turned green. James quirked an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything else. His face relaxed as he looked briefly over at Rhia. She looked slightly guilty but quickly tried to mask it.

"Truth or dare, Rhia?"

"Truth."

"Were you really going to throw our friendship away because of some stupid boy?" inquired Lily.

"No," Rhia sighed, "I was going to get over it."

"What is the point of this?" Sirius asked loudly. "This little competition sucks. We should be doing something dangerous to actually figure out if girls or boys are better, which boys are."

"Fine!" Rhia shouted as she stood up. "Let's make this competition worth it!"

"How are we going to do that?" Remus asked.

"Please say 'Strip Truth or Dare'," James joked.

"Or perhaps 'Drunk Truth or Dare'," Sirius added.

"Or both?"

"In your dreams, Boys, in your dreams," Rhia replied. "Tomorrow night we will have the best competition ever."

"Ever?" Peter squeaked.

"We meet here at exactly midnight sharp for the best competition yet."

"We've only had one competition before, Feisty," Sirius reminded her.

"Yes, and this is going to be fifty times better than the one you had us participate in last month," Rhia retorted matter-of-factly.

Everyone filed out of the Room of Requirements. Remus and Lily both put on their prefect badges in case they were caught in the corridors. Lily stood towards the back behind Sirius and James. She wanted to say so much to Sirius but found herself becoming oddly afraid. She called out to him in a fling of bravery. He stayed back to walk with her alone.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "about earlier."

"What you did was not okay."

"I know! I know! I'm sorry."

"We're good as long as you promise never to act like a pillock again."

"I won't," Lily smiled. "I don't know what came over me. This year has just been one pile of dung after another. There are so many lies and pain. Nothing is what it seems. I just want it to end. My first boyfriend is most likely a Eater of the Death –"

"Death Eater," Sirius interrupted with a smile playing on his lips.

"Whatever," Lily sighed as she waved him off. "Then everything with the masquerade and Hogsmeade. Everyone is telling me this Voldymort –"

"Voldemort," Sirius smiled.

"Whatever. Everyone is telling me that I should be on the lookout for Voldemort, because I'm a Muggleborn. It's like I can't take care of myself. Everyone is lying – you lied."

"I never lied to you, Poppy," Sirius said with a frown.

"Oh yeah? You're a stupid, illegal dog! While Potter is a stupid and illegal stag! Don't look at me like that!" Lily shouted as Sirius stared at her in shock. "I'm not as stupid as I may look. You dressing up like a dumb dog all the time, and Potter talking about his antlers. Only a daft wouldn't be able to figure that one out."

"I don't think you're a daft, Poppet," Sirius spoke slowly. "I do think you're emotionally unstable though."

Lily turned to look at him with hurt burning in her eyes. Sirius's joyful face fell when he saw her look at him like that. He apologized quickly as the two walked towards Gryffindor Tower together.

"We still good?" Lily inquired as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Better than ever."

Sirius and Lily were more than fellow Hogwarts students. They were more than friends. They were like siblings who would walk to the edge of the world for each other. They were in a generation that would know nothing but despair and violence. They were the two members of the Order of the Phoenix who would change the world forever. One would die for her son to save the Wizarding World's savior. The other will challenge those around him until they pushed themselves to the limit. They were Lily and Sirius. Sirius and Lily. They were whatever you wanted to call them – Dog and Poppet, Flower and Star, Padfoot and Poppy.

Author's Notes – I'm sorry for such a late update. I swear I didn't stop writing it. School is atrocious. My weekends are filled. It's so hard to find a time to write. I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter – I know it's a little choppy, but I don't have time to try to make it flow better. Thanks for all the reviews! I hope you still continue to read and review. I have an announcement on my LJ, and I have answered the following reviews: Danu3, LaRohaZeta, sparkley-tangerine, darkdestiney2000, and sarcastic spastic.


	16. Hunt the Prefects

Chapter Summary –

Their lives, so beautiful, so hectic, so lovely, would be torn apart. It would be swallowed in and spat out in the nastiest way possible. Then again, not everything that is right can last forever. There would not be light without darkness. There would not be life without death. There would not be good without evil. In time, when the war was over, the surviving friends would look back on life and finally feel free.

Chapter Title – Hunt the Prefects

Major HBP Spoilers.

_Has there ever been a time when you stepped back and thought that your best friend had passed the creepy stage and into just plain insanity? If not, then you are defiantly not friends with a one Rhiannon Cromwell. Her definition of fun is jumping out of dark corners while throwing hexes at innocent people to prove that girls are better than boys. Usually I don't like the fact that some people (i.e. whose name is James Potter) attack other people for no good reason, but I had to admit the competition was… interesting to say the least. By hiding in dark corners waiting to attack prefects, you can learn things about someone that you never thought you'd find out. Thus, I came in contact with someone's journal. A journal very much like mine but the content so drastically different. I would be horrified to find out that someone had read my journal, but when you encounter someone else's journal… you can't help but want to read, to experience, and to get to know. How did I come in contact with a certain someone's journal that would forever change my view on them? Well, it all has to do with my best friend experiencing a stint of temporary insanity…_

"You want to what?" Sirius Black asked with a smirk dancing on his face.

Lily stared at her best friend as though she grew two heads. Sure, Rhia had come up with some pretty stupid ideas – but everyone has. Like the time in third year when Rhia wanted to see if laxatives would work on cats, so they gave a few to Filch's pet cat… let's just say that the cat didn't live long after that.

"We could get expelled for this!" August protested.

"That's only if we're caught," Rhia retorted.

"What you want to do isn't normal," Lily stated.

"Define normal."

Lily narrowed her emerald eyes at her friend. She turned towards Remus to see if he was going to protest. He glanced nervously from James and Sirius to Rhia. It was then that Lily realized it, how could she be so stupid? Remus never spoke out against anyone in fear that they would reject him because of his illness.

"Come on, Poppet," Sirius whined. "You know you want to."

"These are my fellow pupils, my fellow prefects!" she exclaimed. "I'm not going to go around and – and play 'Hunt the Prefects'!"

"'Hunt the Prefects'? Poppet, you now gave the game a name!"

Lily growled in frustration. Sometimes, she just wanted to slap Sirius. He was so immature at times that it was painful. Lily suspected that the dumb, innocent act was all for show. She'd seen the look of pain in his eyes. She witnessed how he had put on a mask to hide his true feelings.

"Let's get started," James announced as he clapped his hands together.

"We have to wait until dark, Potter," Lily snapped. "We have to go to dinner."

"Wait, Feisty, you said we were going to meet at midnight, by then the prefects would already be in," Sirius spoke.

"You idiot, that's why I'm talking to you now so that we can meet earlier," replied Rhia.

"You didn't have any idea what we were doing until today, did you?"

Rhia chose to ignore Sirius. She explained in detail how everything was to be done. No Invisibility Cloaks or charms could be used during the competition. To which, Lily added no transfigurations either while she pointedly looked from Sirius to James to Peter. The plot of the _game_ was to find the prefects patrolling and hit them with minor hexes such as: disarming, Confundus, or disarming charm. The game would last two hours, and the group to get the prefects the most wins.

As the day passed by and the patrol inched closer, Lily felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She had just found out who would be patrolling that night. Severus Snape and Bellatrix Black were to patrol the upper part of the castle while Leo Northumberland and Guinevere Haswell were to patrol the lower part of the castle. This was going to be messy.

The Marauders and the Mirages met in the entranceway of the school with their wands at the ready. As soon as the clock indicated it was past curfew. The game then began. The Marauders seemed all too eager to go upstairs. Lily knew it was because Severus Snape was up there. With her lips pursed, waited several minutes before she trailed behind them. August and Rhia decided to go down to the dungeons.

The redhead meandered after the Marauders. Peter and Remus branched off to the right while Sirius and James took a left. Lily looked both ways before deciding to follow Black and Potter, for they were most likely going to be more entertaining to watch. They walked and talked for several minutes until they heard someone coming towards them. They went off to the side and hid. Lily went to the same side and hid from both sets of people.

Lily saw the boy she was dreading to see. His long, greasy hair hung in his face. A book was clenched in one hand and the other was writing something down. His hooked nose brushed up against the paper every couple of seconds. Lily leaned her body forward slightly to see a tip of a wand peek out from behind the statue where the two most popular boys in school hid.

"_Aguamenti_," a male voice whispered as a jet of water came squirting out of the wand.

Snape, who was oblivious to everything around him, stepped into the rapidly growing puddle. His foot slid forward, causing him to fall backwards with a loud _thump_. The book in his hands splashed into the puddle. The Slytherin's wand tumbled out of his pocket and washed down in the water. His head turned from side to side looking for the culprit.

"_Immobulus_," a different male voice whispered.

It was then that Sirius and James came out of their hiding place. Sirius stuck out his foot and planted it down upon Snape's wand. He rolled his foot towards him, bent down, and picked up the wand. Meanwhile, James's gaze was resting upon the drenched book in the big puddle the two friends created.

"_Chronicles of the Half-Blood Prince_," James read. "Oy, Padfoot, look at this. Snivellus has a diary!"

"Let me see," Sirius stated as he reached over to grab the book from his friend's grasp.

"No," James snapped as he pulled the book closer to him, "give me the pleasure of reading it to you. Let's see Snivellus's darkest secrets – or should I say _Prince_ Snivellus?"

"Prince," Sirius snorted, "you think you're special or something, Snivellus?"

"_It was early in the morning when mother and I had set out to Spinner's End to see my ailing grandmother_," James read. "_She hadn't been fairing well, and it was the first time that mother could get away without father knowing that she was leaving the house. Mother, although reluctantly, agreed to take me with her. By the time we got there, Grandmother was gone. Mr. Donovan said that she was rushed to the hospital. Since Grandmother chose to live in an all Muggle neighborhood for what she called 'peace and quiet', there was no way to know what Muggle hospital Grandmother was rushed to. Defeated, Mother and I went back home to see Father drunk and sitting in the great room with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Saying he was furious that my mother left without permission would be an understatement. I will never forget how he advanced on my mother –_"

As though by an invisible hook, James Potter was flipped upside down into the air. The journal splashed down into the puddle. Not waiting to see what would happen, not wanting to know what Sirius and James were going to do next, Lily pointed her wand at the journal and whispered, "_Accio_!" With the book clenched in her hands, Lily stealthily got away from the three students as quickly as possible.

Lily concluded that she had never been so nervous in her life. Her heart pounded oddly in her chest as she made her way towards the dungeons to find August and Rhia. She took the stairs two at a time as she raced down the maze of staircases. Lily ran down on flight of stairs and forgot about the missing step. Her leg fell through, and Lily nearly dropped her wand and the journal. Without thinking, Lily sat the two objects onto the nearest step so that she could have both hands free to hoist herself up.

Breathing heavily, she grabbed her wand and the journal and raced down the stairs once more. She heard giggling that sounded oddly like her best friend, but Lily couldn't be certain. She crept around the corner to peer down the stairwell that led to the dungeons to see the back of a girl's head. The black hair defiantly belonged to Rhiannon Cromwell. The boy was clearly Leo Northumberland. The two were sucking face and touching each other very inappropriately.

Lily adverted her eyes away from the two. She didn't particularly want to watch the two snogging, for she had no one to snog in her life. Deciding to gain herself a point in the "Hunt the Prefects" game, Lily conjured a small flock of birds. The birds hovered above her head. She then pointed her wand discreetly at Leo and muttered, "_Oppugno_." The birds then soared towards Leo and Rhia and started pecking Leo's hair.

Leo flung his hands over his head, but the birds wouldn't let up. He resorted to running down the corridors while yelling. Rhia looked abashed as she watched the prefect scamper off. It was then that Lily decided to stroll out and make her presence known.

"One for Lily Evans," she said smugly.

"You just didn't!" Rhia exclaimed as she whipped around. "Did you see I was getting some?"

"Oh please!" Lily scoffed "You make it sound like you two were getting ready to bang!"

"Well, I wouldn't know since you rudely interrupted us with your stupid birds!" Rhia shouted. "If you damaged his face, I'll damage yours."

"You can say they are battle scars. Battle scars are always sexy."

"You're so a dork, Lily," Rhia commented with her voice laced with annoyance.

"Oh, you know me," Lily spoke nonchalantly. "I embrace my total dork in myself because life is too short to be cool."

"I'll just damage James Potter's scrumptious face," Rhia spoke with arrogance lacing her words.

"Go ahead," Lily challenged, "maybe you'll actually make him less of a prat by ruining his face."

The best friends smiled at each other before they both burst out laughing. It was one of those random moments when you couldn't hold in a snicker. It was a moment when you didn't know why you were laughing in the first place. There could be a small gesture, a look across a room of people, or a small trinket that would make something click in the mind and cause best friends to burst out in a fit of giggles. It was a laugh that only best friends shared, and those kinds of laughs were always the best of them all.

Lily ran in one direction while Rhia ran into the other. Lily, who was still laughing for no apparent reason, clenched her side in pain as she sprinted down the corridors looking for a new prefect to attack. She then remembered the small journal resting peacefully in her jacket pocket. Lily stopped and pulled out the small hardback book. The cover looked like green marble with a black binding.

It was wrong to read private thoughts. If someone ever read Lily's, the embarrassment would be enough to kill her. Journals were kept to reveal the darkest of secrets and the deepest of desires. They weren't meant to be read by curious peers or snooping parents. But yet, Lily Evans couldn't help the temptation to read words directly from the heart. Reaching a shaky hand out, Lily carefully pulled back the cover of the book as though she half expected it to explode.

_Chronicles of the Half-Blood Prince_ was etched in a small, messy scrawl. Underneath the small title read, "_Deciphering the world of 1975_." Lily could feel her heart pound in her chest and her mind screaming to not go any farther. Her mind went back to what James Potter had read not twenty minutes ago. The words gripped her heart and made it ache with a longing.

Severus Snape had always been a mystery. He was the awkward boy who had became the primary target of the Marauders since the first day of school. He was the boy who never washed his hair and whose nose was constantly made fun of. He was the boy who walked jerkily with his head down. He was the boy who was a genius in potions. He was the boy that nothing was known about besides the fact that he was in Slytherin.

Lily saw it as a chance to get to know someone she knew nothing about. She saw it as an opportunity to seek the information that would unravel the anonymity that was Severus Snape. Lily reached out an elegant finger to turn the page to the first journal entry. As though someone where going to jump out from a corner, she cautiously looked both ways before reading.

_January 9, 1975_

_A day that I would like to forget, a day that should be forever blown off the pages of the yearly calendars, has arrived at last. I can't help but think if today were not my birthday, if today were merely a regular day like any other, my mother wouldn't be in the position that she is. I like to believe that my father wouldn't be a drunk, an abuser, a rapist. Nevertheless, it was the fates that allowed such a day to be. The fates allowed Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince to come together for years of neglect and abuse._

_As I sit in the cold stonewalls that is Slytherin Common Room with Avery making obscure gestures, I cannot help but wonder why my mother has sent me a journal for my birthday. I cannot fathom why a book, of all things, would come in useful for me. With only a twelve-word note that read, 'To help you remember between what is right and what is wrong'; I try to fathom how a book would help me make sense of the rights and wrongs of the universe._

_There are whispers of a new Grindelwald approaching. Some fear to speak his name and mark him as 'The Dark Lord'. I have been contacted by several Slytherin alumni that this 'Dark Lord' is searching for loyal followers to reward them with their greatest desires. I look at those such as Avery, Bellatrix Black, Rodolphus, and even Black's younger brother Regulus deem it as their mission in life to join. I look unto those people who are merely fourteen, fifteen, and one even thirteen and wonder what their greatest desires are. What are they willing to do to get what they want? Is this what my mother was speaking of? Is this my colossal right and wrong assessment? At the age of fifteen and in my fourth year at Hogwarts, I am faced with a decision that will be the best decision of my life or the greatest mistake I will ever face._

"What are you doing?"

Lily jumped slightly, slamming her finger in the book. She let out a hiss of pain and turned around to see August and Remus standing behind her. Lily slipped the journal into her pocket and stuck her injured finger into her mouth. She scrunched up her face as a reply before she strolled up towards them. Lily withdrew her finger briefly to say, "None of your business."

"How many prefects you get?" August asked.

"Oh, you know me, fifteen or sixteen," Lily said indifferently.

"So what? Zero then?"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I got one! That Leo kid with the fun last name!" she protested.

"Whatever," replied August.

"How many you get?"

"We each got two," Remus answered as a blush crept his face.

Lily was about to say something when she heard footsteps approaching them fast. She was just about to turn around to see who was coming when someone jumped onto her back, nearing making her fall over. Somehow, she kept her balance as strong arms wrapped themselves around her neck and legs trying to coil around her waist. There was only one person who would attack her from behind, and that person was Sirius Black.

"How much do you weigh?" Lily wheezed as her back started to burn from the weight. "A thousand pounds?"

Sirius huffed as he let go of Lily. She stood up and moved her neck from side to side to crack it. Her back ached and felt odd. Sirius stood next to her and propped an arm on her shoulder.

"I'll have you know I'm only about 160-ish."

"That's almost fifty pounds more than me!" Lily protested. "What were you thinking? I can't even carry Rhia and she's only ten pounds more than me!"

"How much exactly do you weigh?" Sirius inquired.

"You prat, you don't go around asking girls what they weigh!"

"You started this conversation!"

"You jumped on me like a bat out of hell!"

"Sorry if I thought we were great friends who would take piggy-back rides on each other."

"That's sick, Sirius," Lily replied as she stepped away from him.

"Get your mind out from under the cloak!" Sirius whined.

Lily looked around at the small group to notice that Peter and Rhia were not present. The image of Rhia and Leo snogging filled her mind as a rat Peter sat idly on Leo's shoulder watching their every move. She shivered slightly, hoping that nobody actually saw her do so. It was then that Rhia came strolling towards the group from the right and Peter from the left. Lily thought for a fleeting second that she was psychic before she dismissed the idea.

The small group made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Sirius and James skipped all the way there singing songs at the top of their lungs. The rest of the group tried several times to get them to stop, but it didn't seem to help. Lily knew it was a matter of time before a teacher caught them. As though on cue, McGonagall appeared in her nightgown with a scowl placed on her face.

"What is going on?"

"Black and Potter snuck out of the common room, so Remus and I went to apprehend them," Lily stated very professionally.

"And Mister Pettigrew and Misses Cromwell and Diefendorf are out why?"

"Back up," Lily said with a wave of the hand. "Don't worry, Professor, they've been properly dealt with."

"I'll take your word for it, Miss Evans."

Lily smiled sweetly before marching forward. The small group followed her obediently. McGonagall wasn't one for letting wrongdoers go so easily. Then again, all the teachers seemed to respect Lily Evans. They all seemed to like her. There was really nobody who had ever disliked Lily, except for her snobbish sister Petunia. It seemed as though the students looked up to her or respected her to an extent. Even though Brent Paddock tried to kill her, he was impressed by her for it wasn't everyday that 'Mudbloods strive at magic' – or at least in his eyes.

So as the unusual group walked back to Gryffindor common room, they didn't utter one word to each other. It wasn't needed at all. They didn't know it now, but their lives that seemed so perfect would be destroyed. Lily Evans and James Potter would die for their son in six years time. Sirius Black would be sentenced to Azkaban for life. Remus Lupin would live years of seclusion while only coming out to catch glimpses of little Harry Potter on Privet Drive. Peter Pettigrew would live as a rat and wait out his time until he could rejoin the darkest of Dark Lords. August Diefendorf would move to Germany with her grandparents and live a life of regret. Rhiannon Cromwell would move to Ireland, meet a Muggle man, and start a life that would never feel right. Their lives, so beautiful, so hectic, so lovely, would be torn apart. It would be swallowed in andspat out in the nastiest way possible. Then again, not everything that is right can last forever. There would not be light without darkness. There would not be life without death. There would not be good without evil. In time, when the war was over, the surviving friends would look back on life and finally feel free. Rhia, August, and Remus would be the ones to survive through it all, and when the war ends… they will be oddly content. They will feel at peace with the world.

Author's Notes: It has been a month from today that I have updated this story, and for that I am sorry. School is stupid and taking up too much of my time. I want to get this chapter up for all of you to read, so don't mind the horrible grammar and whatever else is wrong with it. I know that I usually write comments to my reviewers or acknowledge them, but I simply don't have the time to right now. I will, however, be posting comments to all of your reviews up onto my livejournal in a day or two. There is going to be a HBP version of this story up on astronomytower. It's not up yet, but I think that I have been excepted since a review board was set up. Once the story is up, I will post the link in my Yahoo! Group. Don't fear though, this story will keep going. There is simply just going to be two versions of the story. I love you all so much and please don't forget to review!


	17. Christmas Balls Suck

Chapter Summary – Pinned on her dress was a white button with a blue border with the words, "I officially suck at life" etched upon it in curly letters.

Chapter Title – Christmas Balls Suck

_What's the point of dances? No one ever dances. No one likes them unless they are in love. Single people don't want to stand against the wall like a wallflower and watch all of the disgusting couples being all mushy gushy. Rhia says I'm just bitter because I don't have a man. Maybe I am, but who the hell cares?_

"Ready, Lils?"

Rhia Cromwell stepped out of the bathroom looking breathtaking. Her black hair was curled and pulled up in a loose bun. A satin, red dress clung to her body perfectly. Her skin was bronzed ideally and her make-up was flawless. She also grew a couple inches thanks to her high heels.

"You're not even dressed!" Rhia exclaimed when she saw Lily in a pair of sweatpants.

"I'm not going!" she challenged. "I refuse to go to something as idiotic as a Christmas dance."

"You're a prefect, you have to go."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the vomit coming out of my mouth," Lily said slyly. "You see, I'm sick with the flu. I can't possibly go out to a dance if I'm puking my guts out, now can I?"

"I'll tell McGonagall you're not sick," Rhia challenged.

"Uh, excuse me! Rule number fifty-five in the _Best Friend Handbook that Needs to be Followed No Matter What_, thou shall cover for best friend when best friend sees fit!"

"Rule number seventy-eight in the _Best Friend Handbook that is Made Up on the Spot_, thou shall go to dances when best friend needs moral support!"

"Ugh, I counter that with rule number sixteen!" Lily yelled back.

"What is rule number sixteen?"

"Thou shall not make dateless best friend go to idiotic dance only be asked to dance by a prat named James Potter!"

Rhia narrowed her eyes before storming out of the dormitory. Lily grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at the door. Mumbling a few words under her breathe, Lily got up and went through her wardrobe to pick out the dress she bought for the Christmas dance back when she was still dating Brent. It was a spaghetti strap, emerald green dress that flowed down to the floor. She grabbed a pair of emerald high heels from Rhia's truck and slipped them on, and then shrunk them to fit her. Tapping her head with her wand, her red hair twisted up into an elegant, loose bun with several curls bouncing out. She then searched through her nightstand to find a pin. Pinned on her dress was a white button with a blue border with the words, "I officially suck at life" etched upon it in curly letters.

Hitching her dress up, Lily made her way to the Great Hall. Several students stared at her while a couple boys whistled. She felt like sticking up her middle finger at them, but she quickly thought it was inappropriate. She reached the Great Hall and made her way towards Rhia and Leo.

"I'm here," she announced. "You happy?"

"Exceedingly," Rhia smiled.

Lily stormed away from her best friend to the other side of the room. It was there that she saw Sirius Black sitting next to James Potter. The two looked bored out of their minds. Biting her bottom lip, Lily debated on going over there. She enjoyed Sirius's company. However, she would have to be in the presence of Potter. Yuck!

"Oi! Poppet!" Sirius called. "You wanna dance?"

Lily couldn't help but smile as she nodded her head. Sirius got up from his seat next to a sullen looking Potter. He extended his right hand out to her which she gladly took. He then slipped his left around Lily's waist, but kept his distance from her. She looked at the boy oddly, not understanding how he immediately knew how to dance. He didn't stare at the floor like most of the boys were doing. He didn't seem uptight or nervous, like half the boys were. He was comfortable and stared at the wall as though he was bored.

"I'm glad you seem so entertained by me," Lily said sarcastically.

"Huh?" questioned Sirius as his head snapped towards the redhead. "Oh, sorry. I'm just used to dancing at formal events."

"Why?"

"My parents often dragged me off to huge Pureblood bashes where everyone was required to slow dance. They ruined my childhood."

"I used to go to these father and daughter dances with my dad when I was younger," Lily commented with a smile. "He used to let me stand on his feet."

"Well, since you are an embarrassing height, I guess you can hop up on my feet if you promise to take off those heels," Sirius laughed.

"You are evil!" Lily proclaimed. "These made me a good two inches taller!"

"You're still short."

Lily tried her hardest not to smile. Usually when anyone made fun of her height, she would throw a fit. However, she knew Sirius was joking with her. He was _trying_ to make her mad. Her lips twisted up into a smile as she unconsciously took a step closer to Sirius.

"Are you looking for Mr. Gorgeous tonight?" asked Sirius.

"After Mr. Gorgeous made me pass out with one deadly kiss? Nah, I don't even know what he looks like."

"Pity. I bet he's watching you dance with me right now and wish he were the one with his arms around you," Sirius said thoughtfully. "Although, I expect, his hands would be farther south and his body closer."

Lily rolled her eyes and looked pass Sirius's shoulder. She could see James Potter leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He watched her intently as though he wanted nothing more to kiss her. She shuddered slightly and turned her head to look at Sirius. He looked at her puzzled for several seconds.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm thirsty," she lied. "I – I'm going to go get something to drink."

Lily pulled away from Sirius and made her way to the punch bowl. Grabbing a cup, she poured in the orange-ish contents. Just as she was about to drink it, Frank Longbottom grabbed her wrist. He smiled sadly and said, "Someone spiked it." Not feeling the need to get drunk and kiss James Potter again, Lily sat the cup down onto the table and thanked Frank.

"You want to dance?"

Lily turned her head to see James Potter standing there with his hand outstretched. He grinned stupidly at her as he wiggled his eyebrows. She stared at him for several seconds waiting for him to say something rude and inappropriate. It seemed though that he was trying is very hardest not to let an idiotic word escape his lips, but it was too late.

"Come on, the chemistry between us could destroy this place, so let's dance it off."

"Why would I want to dance with you?" Lily challenged.

"Because you aren't dancing with anyone else."

"Great logic."

"So you wanna?"

"Want to what?" Lily smirked.

"Dance," James exasperated.

"No thanks, Potter," she replied, "I'm good."

Lily smiled before migrating off to the opposite side of the room. Finding all of her friends and mostly the whole school – even the professors – danced all around. Sulkily, Lily made her way out of the Great Hall and outside to the courtyard. She took a seat on the brick wall, kicking off her shoes in the process.

"What's meant to be will always find a way," a familiar male voice called.

Lily's heart jumped a beat. _No_. It couldn't be him. He wasn't allowed to be anywhere near her, let along talk to her. He banned from the Christmas dance. Lily turned her head to the side to see Brent Paddock smirking at her in a sad sort of way. He looked pale and tired with a feeling of regret filling his face. His movements were shifty, and his eyes darted around them.

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!" Lily hissed as her heart started to beat faster as she fumbled to search for her wand only to find it wasn't there.

"What nobody knows can't hurt them," Brent said with a shrug.

"Maybe I should hate you for this and for everything you've done," Lily commented as she jumped off the wall and onto her feet, fumbling to fit them into her shoes.

"Go ahead, hate me."

Crossing her arms over her chest to protect herself from the cold, Lily looked towards the castle wishing someone would come out. She didn't want to be alone with Brent. Her chest burned oddly. She could see the light coming towards her, she could remember being in James Potter's strong arms…

"Sometimes we must get hurt in order to grow. We must fail in order to understand. We must clear our head of preconceived rights and wrongs in order to recognize what side you should be a part of."

"You know, you make it seem like you hurt me just to help me," Lily snapped bitterly. "You just deceived me and everyone else."

"Sometimes deception has a hidden truth," Brent replied.

"I think you should leave before I go and get a professor."

"By the time you get them, I'll be gone."

"You see, the professors would believe me over you, so it's really a lose-lose situation on your part."

"You know, Lily, I agree that I may have over stepped a barrier line –"

"_What_? You may have? You did!"

"If that's what you choose to believe,' Brent said with a sigh. "You're going to have to choose whom you want to side with in the war – though I highly doubt the Dark Lord will allow you to enter unless you have something essential that he could use. Dumbledore would take you in a heart beat, however."

"I'm not taking sides. This Dark Lord and Dumbledore can do without me. I don't really care."

Not being able to stand there and talk to him any longer, Lily stormed off into the Great Hall once more. Her eardrums pounded due to the loud music pulsing in the room. Eyes wandering across the room, she spotted a flustered Severus Snape talking softly to Evan Rosier, a fellow fifth year Slytherin. Her mind thought back to the boy's journal sitting in the bottom of her trunk, the journal that held a heartbreaking story of an abused child. The thought that James Potter constantly abused him at school made her blood boil.

"You okay, Lils?" a female voice asked.

Lily turned around to see August and Remus standing behind her looking very concerned. Lily nodded dumbly as she felt tears burning her eyes, even though she wasn't entirely sure why she felt the need to cry. It seemed like everything was just too hard. Being a teenager, she concluded, sucked major ass.

"Fine," she whispered with a sniff.

Her eyes wandering over to the spiked punch, Lily wanted nothing more than to drink all of the contents. James Potter and Sirius Black were drinking the punch with goofy smiles etched upon their faces. They clinked their plastic glasses together, crossed their arms, and drained the contents. So carefree, so happy, why wouldn't Lily be like that?

"You going home for Christmas?" August asked, changing the subject.

"Unfortunately," Lily replied. "Not that I don't want to go home, but Petunia's going to be there. She's bringing a date – some bloke named Vern or something. Mum says he's a prick, though those weren't her exact words. Dad loves him. I guess they both like boxing and football. Figures, huh?"

"I think you should be happy for your sister."

"Why? She's never happy about anything I do," she retorted bitterly. "What are you two doing for Christmas?"

"Going to Stuttgart to visit my aunt and uncle," August replied.

"I'm going over to Potter Manor," Remus supplied.

"He calls his house a manor?" asked Lily in shock.

"Old, rich pureblooded Wizarding families call their estates manors," August explained.

"How big is it exactly?"

"Well, it's almost as big as Hogwarts," said Remus.

"No way!"

"Add a few more rooms onto Potter Manor, and you have Hogwarts big."

_It must be nice to be rich_, Lily thought bitterly. Her house was a small two-story home with only about nine rooms. How would they keep the house clean, manage it, furnish it? Just how loaded were the Potters? Did Sirius, Rhia, and Brent live such extraordinary lives also? Lily had never been to Rhia's house before, due to her summer traveling.

"Wouldn't it though?" inquired Remus.

"Wouldn't what?"

"It be nice to be rich?"

Lily smirked, not worrying about how weird it was that he knew what she was thinking. Maybe it was his werewolf senses or the fact that he was just generally a really creepy boy. Talking to August and Remus certainly brightened her night and made her forget about the git named Brent, the prat named James, and the so-called best friend named Rhia.

"Did you ever think before that maybe you had the wrong impression about someone for a long time, and you want to change that because you know that person isn't like you thought, but you don't actually know how to go up to that person and tell them?" Lily's eyes wandered over to Severus Snape again.

"No," August said as Remus shook his head.

"Yes, but then I flogged my brother and I never felt better." Sirius stepped up behind her and wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders. "You talking about James Potter?"

"No," Lily sighed, "I'm talking about someone else."

"What? Who? Why? When? What are you talking about? Who else could you possibly be talking about?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius. I'm not fluent in rambling. Can you speak a little slower?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"None of your business," Lily snapped.

"Is this like some feminine thing? One of those things that girls can't talk about to guys like their periods or bra size?"

"Feminine things? You mean the sensible concept that women are people too?"

"Don't get all fussy over this, Poppy," Sirius exasperated. "I know women are people, and I'm not suggesting otherwise."

"No, of course not! I mean, men – like the animals they are – only see girls as a piece of meat they can shag!"

"What's your problem? Why are you getting all defensive about something I didn't say?"

Truth be told, Lily didn't know why she was shouting at Sirius about something he didn't directly say. Maybe it was her PMS talking or the fact that Brent ruined her evening, but Lily felt the need to yell and bitch at someone and Sirius was right there bugging her. She felt that if she didn't get away from the party, she was going to throw up. Therefore, Lily did the only thing she could think of – stormed off to her dormitory.

She thought back to the journal at the bottom of her trunk that belonged to Snape – no, Severus. She didn't read too much of the journal because it was all too personal. Lily thought back to one entry in his journal that went something like this:

_How can I decide between the rights and wrongs of the universe when everyone seems to have turned their back on me? I feel like my only escape from this suffocating world would be to join the Dark Lord – someone who could turn me into something great instead of "the boy that Black and Potter like to make a fool out of."_

When she reached her dormitory, Lily grabbed the journal out of her trunk and made her way down to the dungeons. She sat down behind a statue with her knees brought up close to her chest. She waited for a good half hour behind footfalls could be heard. A boy, whose movements were jerky, came into view. His head was bent causing his long, greasy hair to cover his face.

"Severus!" Lily crept out of her hiding place.

"What do you want Mudblood?" he snapped, fully aware that the comment would make her cringe.

"I found this," Lily said quickly as she shoved the journal towards him. "I took it before Potter could get his hands on it. I thought you probably wouldn't want it in his hands."

He reached out a white hand and snatched the journal from the redhead's grasp. He filled through it as though he expected to find a trace that she read it. His cold, dark eyes bored into her filled with suspicion and anger.

"I read a couple pages… to find out whom it belonged to," Lily admitted. "I won't tell anyone about it."

"You probably already have," he snapped.

"No, I didn't, I swear! I wouldn't do something like that." Lily crossed her arms across her chest and waited for him to give her a simple 'thanks', even though she didn't expect one.

"If you're expecting me to thank you because you are a good person – then, don't since it is like expecting a bull not to charge at you because you are a vegetarian."

He sulked off with the journal clenched tightly under his arm to the Slytherin Common Room, which was located somewhere in the huge dungeon. Highly disappointed, Lily wanted to shout and throw something at him. She didn't know what she expected from him. At the very least, she thought he would at least think better of her.

"Hey!" she yelled. "When you think everybody has turned their back on you, remember that I'm not Everybody!"

It wouldn't be until merely a year before Lily's murder that her and Severus Snape would become friends because of one mistake he was destined to make. It would seem many people would be making mistakes in the near future. Everything will seem like it is spiraling out of control. However, for Lily, there would always be a shoulder to lean on in the most difficult of times.

Author's Notes – Sorry for the late update, but I've been ever so busy. However, here's a new chapter for all of you! I'll try to get chapter 18 up by Christmas (since the next chapter is a Christmas chapter). At my livejournal, there are replies to all reviews, so check it out.


	18. Christmas Mayhem

Chapter Summary – "POPPET! PRONGS AND I ARE IN JAIL!" What?

Chapter Title – Christmas Mayhem

_Little kids think that Christmas is just about the best holiday in the history of the world because of bright, flashing lights and loads of presents. When you get older, however, you can't help but feel less enthused about Christmas. Maybe it's because teenagers are just moody and depressive. Or maybe it's because you don't get excited about all the presents under the tree. Or maybe because you know that Santa Claus really isn't real. Or maybe it's just because you have an older sister who's a complete and utter bitch._

With her head leaned up against the window of the train, Lily Evans tried her hardest not to scream out several cuss words. Sirius has been a very bad influence on her. Every time she got frustrated, Lily couldn't help but want to swear. Wanting to stop cussing and stop doing other things, she mentally made a New Year's Resolution List:

1.) Stop cussing

2.) Stop obsessing over Brent Paddock – he's a dick, who needs him?

3.) Try to figure out why you and Rhia keep fighting

4.) Fix friendship with Rhia

5.) Act as though Petunia isn't a bitch – damn, I cussed again

6.) Prove to Mum and Dad that they should dump Petunia back off at the orphanage

7.) Think up the best challenge for the competition

8.) Don't stare at Aunt Edith's mustache or Aunt Nina's huge mole on her nose

9.) Stop thinking about James Potter at random moments in time – like that dream about us in a meadow… eww! What's wrong with me lately?

10.) Kick James Potter in the balls for being a git

The train blew its whistle loudly which stirred Lily out of her musings. Her head lifted from the window and looked around. August and Rhia were already collecting their things from the overhead compartment. Lily sat there dumbly, not quite aware of what was happening.

"Time to get up, Lily." August tapped her cheek lightly. "Time to get off the train and go home."

Lily stood up slowly and reached for her bag. With a swift tug, her satchel fell out of the compartment and nearly hit her on the head. The three girls walked off the train together in complete silence. What was happening to their friendship? Why were they like strangers now?

"Have a great holiday, Lily," August said as she pulled her into a hug. "I'll send you a postcard from Germany."

"You too," Lily replied. "I'll send you a postcard from… Windsor."

"Not going anywhere?"

"No, unfortunately. My grandparents are coming in from Oxfordshire though. My aunts and uncles are coming in from Dublin, Surrey, and London. That should be fun. At least you get to go to an exotic country."

"Germany's just like England, Lily," August commented with a smile. "They just talk a different language and eat lots of bread and sausage."

"Bring me some of that sausage that tastes like bologna?"

"Leberkäs?"

Lily nodded her head with a small smile planted on her lips. She turned her head towards Rhia who looked sullen. Lily reached out and pulled her best friend into a bone-crushing hug. She didn't want to part. She knew her holiday was going to be the worst. Why didn't she stay at Hogwarts?

"Going to Wales?" asked Lily.

"Yep, my grandparents are looking forward to it."

Lily gave a little wave as her two friends made their way off to their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell were talking to a woman with black hair that was slowly turning a pepper color and hazel eyes. She looked oddly familiar. She watched as James Potter went over to the Cromwells with Sirius in tow. The tall woman kissed James swiftly on the cheek and then pulled Sirius into a hug. Mrs. Potter, the acclaimed healer that Rhia talked about on several occasions.

An excitement suddenly filled Lily. She couldn't wait to see her parents. It had been too long without them. Usually going away to Hogwarts wasn't a big deal for her. However, with everything that transpired over the year, Lily wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch with her parents with mugs of hot chocolate and talk through the night.

Making her way through the magical barrier, Lily expected to see her parents there with huge smiles on their faces. However, to her surprise, there was a sulking Petunia with her arms cross over her chest. With a huge hat resting on his head and dark sunglasses perched on her nose, as though she didn't want anyone to recognize her, Petunia huffed as she watched her baby sister standing there looking dumbfounded and slightly repulsed. Forcing a smile onto her face, Lily strolled up to her sister.

"You are my sister and not some sort of American movie star, right?"

"Get in the car." The angry mumble was her reply.

The two sisters made their way to the '74 Camaro. Throwing her bag in the back of the car, Lily contemplated what would make Petunia angrier – sitting in the front of the car or the back. It was a lose/lose situation so Lily sat in the passenger's side. The ride home was a long one that consisted of no talking and Petunia's Beatles CD playing over and over again. Lily was certain that "Blackbird" would be stuck in her head all holiday.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these broken wings and learn to fly  
All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

The car pulled into the Evans' driveway. There were already two cars in the driveway, her grandparent Evans and grandmother Montgomery. Petunia exited the car and went straight to the house, not even asking if Lily might like some help. Lily grabbed her bags out of the back of the car and dragged them into her home.

Her grandmother Evans and grandmother Montgomery were sitting in the living room chatting on the couch. Petunia was talking to her father and grandfather Evans. Lily's mother burst through the kitchen, running towards her with arms wide opened. She squealed, "Lily!" Soon enough, Lily found herself wrapped up in her mother's arms.

"Oh, Sweetie, how's school been?"

School. Oh, the dreaded word has been emitted into the air. Did Lily dare tell her mother of Brent, passing out, nearly being killed, being part of an illegal competition, her and Rhia's sudden lack of friendship, her werewolf friend, the war, the Dark Lord, the Eaters of the Dead, the lies, deception, and everything in-between? No, she wouldn't. She couldn't. Her mother would be worried sick about her if she spilled the beans.

"Everything's… great," Lily replied with a tight smile.

"Your grades still up?"

"Never better."

Lies. Lies. Lies. Lily wasn't one for lying, but how could she disappoint her whole family with the truths of her life. She was definitely failing Herbology and Transfiguration. She even slightly wondered if McGonagall now hated her guts because she failed the last two tests. She found the only two classes she could concentrate in were Charms, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Everything was just happening too fast and her life was slowly spiraling out of control.

"Bright Eyes!" Mr. Evans exclaimed as he made his way over towards his youngest daughter.

"Daddy!" Lily called back with her arms opened.

"I've missed my little girl so much."

Over her father's shoulder, Lily could see Petunia staring at her with hatred shining in her eyes. It seemed, as though on cue, the doorbell rang throughout the house. Petunia turned her head to look out the window. A smile grew faintly on her face as she made her way over towards the door.

"That must be Vernon!" Lily's father exclaimed with excitement before dashing off towards the front door.

"Oh how lovely. It's Vernon. You'll simply hate him, Lily," Mrs. Evans commented.

"Why do you say so?"

"Because I simply hate him."

Lily's lips quirked up in a smile. She turned her head to see a man that she couldn't believe her sister was in love with. He was a tall, beefy man with bushy mustache that covered most of his lower face. His eyes were small and dark. Lily didn't like him. A sickening feeling filled the bit of the witch's stomach and made her want to hurl.

"Vernon, my good man, this is Rose and mine's youngest, Lily. Lils, this is Vernon Dursley, Petty's boyfriend that she met at the University," Mr. Evans introduced them.

"Charmed." Lily forced a smile.

"I've heard so much about you," Vernon said condescendingly. Lowering his voice he added, "A little witch you are."

"I'm glad Petunia's filled you in," Lily whispered back. "She's one for gossip, you see."

"Petunia!" Grandmother Evans called. "Let me meet this strapping young man!"

"Come on, Vernon." Petunia grabbed Vernon's arm and pulled him off towards her grandparents.

Lily turned around to face her mother with a sour look on her face. She waited for her father to get out of earshot before saying, "I already hate him." Rose Evans laughed forcefully as she pulled her daughter into a one armed hug.

"Give him a chance with me," she commented. "Petunia will never forgive us if we don't."

"Why should I give a damn about what Petunia wants?" Lily challenged. "She already hates me. Why not get her oaf of a boyfriend to hate me as well?"

"Lillian," her mother warned, "do it for me and your father if nothing else."

The day went on at a boring rate. Everyone was interested in Vernon Dursley and how he was planning on "taking over the distinguished family business." Actually, the family business was just selling used cars at great deals. Lily vaguely wondered for a couple seconds why he would need to go a university if he was just going to take over the family business. Apparently, it was because he got a boxing scholarship. Yippee for him.

In face, the monotonous task of listing to Vernon Dursley talk about himself lasted the next couple of days, all the way up to the Christmas Eve part thrown by the Evans family each year. It was nearly nine o'clock when the phone rang that evening. Lily, who separated herself from the rest of the party, went to answer the phone. The voice on the other end:

"POPPET! PRONGS AND I ARE IN JAIL!"

What?

"Sirius?" Lily gasped as she plugged her left ear.

"PRONGS ANG I ARE IN JAIL!"

"Would you stop yelling before you draw attention to yourself? Talk normally."

"Prongs and I are in jail."

"I heard you the first time!" she snapped. "Why are you in jail? How do you know this number?"

"Well, that's rather complicated. Let's just say I have my ways."

"Sirius Black, you are going to answer my questions right now if you want my help."

"Fine. Fine. Listen, Prongs and I went exploring out in Muggle London. Well, okay, I lied. We went to my house and egged it. Only my house is unplottable, and James accidentally was egging someone else's house instead of mine because he couldn't see it. Anyways, the Muggle Aurors were called, and we were taken off to jail. We contacted Moony a la mirror, and he searched through something called a tellyfone booklet. Then voilà! I'm talking to you."

"What do you expect me to do about this?" questioned Lily.

"Get to London and give the Muggle Auror some pounds – whatever that means – and we can go on our merry way." Sirius made it seem like the simplest thing that Lily wanted to beat him with a stick… or at the very least burn him with a candle.

"How can I do that? I don't have a car nor do I know how to drive."

"Poppet, take the Knight Bus."

"The Knight Bus?"

"Go outside and stick out your wand arm. Step back while holding the wand high in the air. The Knight Bus is a huge purple, triple-decker bus. Get on and tell them to take you to London. The place we're at is a block away from St. Mungo's. Just tell the conductor to take you to St. Mungo's and walk the rest of the way." Sirius paused. "You got that?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Lily sighed as she watched her sister and Vernon. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Lily sat the receiver back down on its cradle. Looking at the guests in the house, Lily stealthily went upstairs to her room to retrieve her wand from the nightstand. She slid into her winter coat, slithered her hands into gloves, and tied a Gryffindor colored scarf around her neck. Quickly making her way down the stairs, Lily dashed for the front door.

Once she was on the sidewalk, Lily withdrew her wand from inside her coat. She raised her right hand high in the air and thought about how ridiculous she must look. She wondered if anyone was watching her. Oh, if only Petunia could see her now. Lily stepped back on her left foot, only to step into a spot of light, deep snow. She fell backwards onto her bum as a loud honking noise emitted into the crisp December air. Around the corner, as though it appeared out of thin air, was a large bus. It stopped right in front of her, and the side door opened to reveal an old, balding wizard.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus," he greeted in a gruff voice, "emergency transport for any stranded witch or wizard. I'm Kemp Ringgold, and I'll be your conductor for the evening."

Lily stood up quickly, brushing the snow off her coat. The man looked bored as he watched the young witch. Lily offered a smile and stepped onto the bus, Mr. Ringgold not far behind her. When she saw the beds instead of seats, Lily wanted to run back inside of her house. However, before she could react, the bus started to move at a rapid rate. She fell forward onto the nearest bed which was harboring an elderly witch.

"Watch where you're going!" she jeered.

"Sorry!" Ringgold grabbed Lily's upper arm and sat her down on the nearest empty bed.

"Haven't you ever ridden the bus before?" the man asked.

"No," Lily confessed, "I didn't even know it existed until about five minutes ago."

"That'll be eleven sickles for the ride."

What? Sirius didn't tell her she needed money! All of her Wizarding money was at the bottom of her trunk in her room! Well, she'd just make Black and Potter pay her way. She was getting them out of jail.

"You know Sirius Black?" asked Lily.

"Son of Leo and Lyra Black?"

"Yeah, him. Can you put it on his tab? You see, I'm picking him up right now and we're going to be traveling back on this bus. So, he can pay you then. Is that all right?"

The man looked at her suspiciously for several seconds, as though he were trying to see if she was lying. Slowly, he nodded his head and asked for her name. The rest of the bus ride was bumpy and consisted of Lily being thrown off the bed several times. It seemed to take forever to reach London, but when they did, Lily gladly ran off the bus. It jetted away, leaving Lily feeling stranded and afraid.

Wrapping her coat around herself tighter, Lily set off down the streets of London. It wasn't long before she found herself outside of a police station. She made her way inside to see it mostly abandoned except for two police officers, a prostitute, and two male wizards.

"Poppet!" Sirius shouted and waved enthusiastically to her. "Glad to see you love us so much!"

"Do you know them?" an officer asked.

"Yes, unfortunately," Lily mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but if you're looking to bail your friends out, you're going to be sorely mistaken. Only an adult can take them."

"Sir, please, it's Christmas Eve. My cousins didn't know any better." Lily looked at the two boys to tell them not to disagree with anything she said. "The one without the glasses, he's my cousin Sirius. He's… mentally ill. He's a 'special needs' boy."

"Lily!" Sirius protested.

"Now, Sirius," Lily spoke in a baby voice, "let cousin Lily tell the nice man about you, unless you want to spend Christmas here. Saint Nick won't give you any presents."

Lily watched as James Potter tried his hardest to keep in a burst of laughter. Sirius elbowed him in the side and hissed something at him. James only grinned and fought another bout of laughter threatening to escape.

"The one with the glasses is my cousin James. He's a," Lily lowered her voice, "juvenile delinquent. He goes to school at St. Brutus's. He's trying to change his ways."

James stopped laughing and looked angrily at Lily. A grin spread across Sirius's face as he tried to contain his laughter. The officer looked from Lily to the two boys and then back to Lily. It seemed as though he were contemplating what to make the situation.

"I don't want any more trouble from them."

"You have my word, Sir." Lily smiled. "We're going straight back to my uncle Remus's house."

"I could get in a lot of trouble for this."

"I know, Sir, but my uncle would go crazy if he found out James was corrupting Sirius again. I swear, James is really trying to get back on the right track. This has been the first incident in over a year."

"All right, Miss, since it's Christmas… I'll let these boys go home with you. However, if I ever see them again, I'm not going to be so nice about it."

"Thank-you so much, Officer. Sirius, James, come on with cousin Lily."

The two boys stood up from where they were sitting. Sirius bounded over towards Lily, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. James slowly walked towards the two with a flicker of hope shining in his eyes. Lily led the two boys out of the police station and into the cold winter air.

"Thanks a lot, Poppet," Sirius said sincerely. "You did a really good acting job."

"I hate lying!" Lily exclaimed. "Little white lies I can deal with. Like the time I lied to McGonagall so we wouldn't get in trouble because of the competition, but I don't like lying to police officers! They are the law, whether you like it or not! You might be pureblooded, high-class wizards, but that doesn't give you the right to utterly disobey the laws of the Muggle world!"

"We weren't disobeying the laws per say –"

"Sirius, shut-up!" Lily screeched. "You have to pay for my ride over here on that mad bus. I didn't have any Wizarding money with me."

"Will do."

"You owe me big!"

"I'm not denying it."

"You're calling that sodding bus back here because last time I fell in the snow!"

With a smirk, Sirius pulled his wand out from his back pocket. He raised his right arm high in the air and jerked it backwards. The familiar honking sounded again and out of nowhere, the purple bus appeared. The side door opened and the old man was back again.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transportation for any stranded witch or wizard. I'm Kemp Ring- oh, it's you again. Come on, you lot, get in!"

Lily, Sirius, and James piled onto the Knight Bus. Sirius reached into his robes, pulled out a pile of gold, and handed it to the conductor. Sirius and James didn't seem fazed by the fact that the bus was made of bus. They plopped themselves down upon one. Lily quickly made her way to the bed next to theirs and sat down.

"We need to get to Wiltshire, Potter Mansion," James said lazily. "Then to wherever she needs to go."

"Windsor," she supplied, "I live in Windsor."

As Lily Evans stepped out of the Knight Bus a quarter past midnight, she couldn't help but smile. Sirius Black and James Potter made her forget about Brent, Petunia and Vernon, and everything else that was flying through her mind. They were and would always be the ones who would make her forget everything in the darkest of times. It would be the last time Lily would bail Sirius and James out of a Muggle jail, but it would be by far her favorite time. Even though her denial of loving James Potter would last until she was seventeen, it won't stop her from looking or thinking about him any chance she got.

Author's Notes – Isn't it amazing that I got the chapter up so quickly? I know it's past Christmas, but I did my best to get it up on time. The plot of this chapter was so last minute. I scrapped everything I wrote before and started fresh today. My best friend sent me this quote; "A good friend will come and bail you out of jail. A true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn... we fucked up.'" I could picture in my mind James and Sirius sitting in jail saying, "Damn, we fucked up." So, the chapter came to be. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope you will all review. Not that I'm complaining, but it's really frustrating and depressing to see that nearly 300 people read the last chapter so far, and I only received 9 reviews. I ask everyone who reads to leave a review, because you took the time to read it. It's only fair to me. I not only write my stories for my pleasure, but for your pleasure as well. It takes less than a minute to tell me what you think of the latest chapter, so please click the button below. The nine people who reviewed, I have replied to your reviews over on my livejournal (link in my profile).


	19. So They Knew All Along

Chapter Summary – She (Lily) looked at Rhia to see that she was looking at her. They were both thinking the same thing, _fuck_.

Chapter Title – So They Knew All Along

_As the year 1976 roared in, I found myself standing alone in a room filled with drunk people making out as if the world was to end tomorrow. I remember, strangely enough, picturing myself kissing a man with dark hair and feeling as though the world was perfect in that moment. I pictured Remus there as well as Sirius. I pictured that my life was faultless and that nothing could touch me. I felt as though that moment was infinite, and I was glad to feel like that. I imagined children running around a lit Christmas tree and watching a New Years program on the telly. I was soon snapped out of my reverie when my father kissed me gently on the forehead. My divine moment of happiness was lost in an abyss of darkness. Everything that transpired in the year of 1975 made me think that 1976 couldn't get any worse. Surely, things could only get better? But now I'm back at Hogwarts in my dormitory, and I can't help but feel as though a part of me was lost. I had lost so much, but gained so much in return. Who is to decide whether things were better before or after?_

"Competition tonight. The boys are really excited about it," Rhia explained. "James and Sirius cooked it up. Apparently, they think it's going to be absolutely brilliant. James was laughing about it."

_Potter_. How could Lily suddenly enjoy the name that she once hated to no end? It didn't seem possible that she was – gulp – falling for the boy. He was too arrogant, too mean, too sadistic to people he didn't like. Though, to people James did like, he was an utterly different person whom you could talk to and laugh with.

"Any idea what it is?" inquired August.

"Nope," Rhia replied as she flopped down onto her bed, "but I bet it's going to be fun."

"What makes you say that?"

"Come on, those boys came up with a night in the Forbidden Forest."

"You only liked it because you were alone with Sirius Black most of the night," August retorted.

"So?"

"You do remember he is your cousin."

"We're like second cousins once removed or something like that. I really don't understand all that crap."

"I'm going to dinner," Lily announced. "Anyone care to join me?"

The three girls made their way down to the Great Hall. They spotted the Marauders immediately. They all were wearing a pair of animal ears on their heads, though Remus looked extremely uncomfortable doing so. Sirius wore the black dog ears like he had on Halloween, James had antlers on, Peter had mouse ears, and Remus wore brownish wolf ears. August found it amusing while Rhia looked utterly puzzled by this. Lily walked up behind Sirius and flicked one of the ears.

"Poppet, how many times do I have to tell you that hurts?" he asked.

Lily ignored him and pushed her way so that she could sit in-between Sirius and James. Reaching onto Sirius's plate, she grabbed a half eaten roll and started peeling off pieces to plop into her mouth. Several people looked at her strangely and started whispering to one another. Who cares though? Lily certainly didn't. They could talk and gossip all they wanted to and not affect her.

"Tonight, we talk competition," Sirius whispered.

"Gimme a sneak peak?" Lily reached over to pour herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Can't," Sirius shrugged, "very confidential and highly dangerous to know before hand. You'll just have to wait like everyone else."

"Sometimes I hope that something would just eat you."

"Sometimes I wonder why we are still friends when you keep abusing me the way you do."

"Because you love me." Lily smiled.

"Or because I'm afraid you'd kill me in my sleep," retorted Sirius.

"Argh!" she exclaimed. "You wound me!"

Sirius picked out a saltshaker and started playing absentmindedly with it. He sprinkled some salt on the table, picked up a fork, and started shifting it around. He began to talk without taking his eyes off it.

"We're starting it tomorrow, the competition. Tonight's just the info fest." Sirius added more salt to his small pile. "It's going to be a whole day event."

"We have classes." Lily pointed out.

"So?" Sirius questioned as he looked at her vaguely before turning back to the salt.

"The professors will find out about an illegal competition at Hogwarts and expel us or something."

"Technically, Poppet, it's not illegal. There's nowhere in any kind of rulebook that says there can nor cannot be a friendly competition amongst students."

"How would you know that?"

"Well, us Marauders sort of have to know, don't we? I mean, we have to know how far we can push the envelope without getting ourselves expelled or locked in jail."

"Funny, seeing as you almost found yourself locked in a Muggle jail about a week ago."

"We mustn't talk about such things," Sirius replied with a grave look on his face that looked foreign on his face.

Lily nodded as she picked off a piece of a flapjack on Sirius's plate and plopped it into her mouth. Sirius poured some salt onto the rest of the flapjack with a smile etched upon his face. He turned his head towards Lily and looked at her through the fringe of his bangs.

"Why are you playing with the salt?" she inquired.

"It's fun."

"You're such a smart kid, but you're fascinated by the simplest things that I wouldn't think anyone could possibly be."

"You think I'm smart?"

Lily chose not to reply and simply glanced over at James Potter, who was staring at her with a smile etched upon his face. He reached out a hand and brushed it up against Lily's. She didn't want to pull away, but she knew she had to. In a swift movement, the redhead pulled her hand back and sat it in her lap.

"Lily," James started, "go out with me."

"No," she snapped back. "You're such a git."

"If Sirius asked you out, would you?"

"No, because Sirius is a git too."

"Hey!" Sirius interrupted. "I resent that!

With that, Lily got up and walked out of the Great Hall with a smile etched upon her face for some unknown reason. It wasn't until nearly eleven o'clock that the Mirages and the Marauders met in the Gryffindor common room and waited until everyone went up to bed. It was then that James pulled out a small box from his pocket and sat it down on the table. With a tap from Sirius's wand, the box grew to its normal side.

When the box opened, Lily wanted to throw up. On the bottom sat several bottles of neatly rowed vials of Polyjuice potion. She looked over at Rhia, who had paled considerably. _Did they know?_ Lily's mind wandered back to when _she_ had polyjuiced herself to become Sirius for an hour. How stupid it seemed now but at the time, how it felt like the right thing to do. Maybe it was paybacks? They do say they are a bitch – though Lily didn't know exactly who _they_ were.

"How much do we know each other?" Sirius started.

"Not good enough, that's all I can say." James shot Lily a glance.

"Dumbledore always goes on about how the houses should unite and stick together in a time of war."

"To unite, one most first know those in ones own house."

"One must walk a mile in each other's shoes."

_You have to be kidding me!_ Lily shouted in her head. No, she couldn't spend a whole day as Sirius. She would die if she had to be James. She looked at Rhia to see that she was looking at her. They were both thinking the same thing, _fuck_.

"Interesting," said Lily.

Sirius gave her a look that seemed to tell her, '_we got you._' Lily glanced over at James who was pulling a bag out from the box. He gestured for the girls to reach in. Rhia bravely went first to pull out piece of parchment that had _Prongs_ written on it in Potter's messy scrawl. Lily reached in next, praying that she didn't have to be Sirius again. She fished around the three slips of parchment and finally enclosed one in her hand. She pulled it out and opened her hand slowly to see the name _Padfoot_ written on it in Sirius's loopy, elegant lettering.

Lily cursed inside her head. She inhaled deeply and caught Sirius's eye. August reached into the bag and pulled out the name_ Moony_. Lily watched out of the corner of her eye to see a look of relief fill Peter's face. Lily gulped loudly on accident and wondered what James and Sirius were thinking.

"Tomorrow, we change into each other. Prongs and Feisty. Moony and Moonshine. Padfoot and Poppet. The object of the game is to act so much like the person you are turning into that no one will be able to tell the difference. The less you act like the person, the less points you will receive. The more you act like the person, the more points you get," Sirius explained.

"Let's just say, Sirius and I have been thinking about this for awhile," James spoke up. "Let's just say, Sirius and I concluded that Evans doesn't really play a good Padfoot. Now, we have a chance to see if she can do any better."

"We can't," Rhia interjected. "Our voices are so different that everyone will know something is up right away."

Sirius reached into his robe pocket and pulled out several vials filled with a purple-ish liquid. He waved them in the air as the vials clanked together. August reached out, took one from Sirius, and looked at the contents closely. There was a piece of tape that bared the name _Prongs _on it.

"Now this, Feisty, is going to be the best competition ever." Sirius smirked. "This blows Hunt the Prefects out of the water."

Lily woke up the next morning with the feeling of wanting to vomit everywhere. Maybe the day before was just one big dream. Hopefully, Lily wouldn't have to subject herself to playing Sirius for the day. She didn't know if she could go through that again. She sat up and quickly got dressed for classes. It was only five in the morning – a record for Lily.

In the common room, Lily saw that Sirius and James were already up. They were talking in low voices to one another. Sirius looked older, tired, and frustrated all at once. A hand ran roughly through his usually perfect hair. James said something that made Sirius give out a bark-like laugh.

"Don't tell me we're still going through with this stupid competition," Lily announced her presence.

"Yeah, we are," Sirius replied.

"Here's the thing, there has to be some rules."

"Like?"

"No peeking."

"Same goes for you, Poppet." Sirius smirked.

"No touching either."

"Damn." He smiled his trademark smile that Lily knew all too well.

The hours passed until finally nine o'clock came looming in. The girls were dressed in the boys' clothes. The boys were, well, stuffed in the girls' small clothes. It was time for the worst day of Lily Evan's life to begin. Everything in her mind was shouting for her to stop and not to do it. She took a breath as she watched James Potter start to shrink. She watched Sirius's hair turn red. Plugging her nose, Lily drained the contents in the vial. Before she could think, she took the voice-changing potion and drained that as well.

_Oh, no,_ Lily thought as she felt the horrible changes occur in her body. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to block out the sickening feelings she started to feel. Before she knew it, Lily found herself on the ground with… herself standing above her. _No, not me. Sirius. She was Sirius._

"You okay, Poppet?" Sirius voice sounded exactly like Lily's that it was uncanny.

"I see why God created men first," Lily whispered fully aware that she sounded exactly like Sirius.

"Why?"

"You always make the rough draft before you make the masterpiece."

'_Lily'_ let out a bark-like laugh that sounded like a feminine version of the one she heard Sirius do earlier that morning. Sirius held out a hand and tried to hail Lily up off the floor. Only, Lily's small stature could not pull up Sirius's bigger one. Therefore, Sirius came tumbling down onto the floor, landing right on top of Lily.

"Hey!" Lily shouted.

"Merlin, can you get any smaller, Poppet?"

Oh, this was going to be so weird. The unlikely teenagers walked down the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The boys were girls and the girls were boys. Lily felt vaguely away of the itching sensation in her pants – how did boys deal with that? She watched as the boys shrugged their shoulders and wiggle in the bras that they were forbidden to touch. To ensure that the boys wouldn't touch, the girls placed a spell on the boys that would shock them any time they dared touch.

Lily walked into Charms and made her way to the front of the room, only to be stopped by Sirius. He motioned for the back of the room. Of course, the boys always sat in the back and it would appear weird if they were to suddenly sit in the front. Lily drew back with Rhia and August and sat down in the very last row of the room with Peter trailing behind them. Sirius, James, and Remus walked towards the front of the rooms, walking awkwardly in Mary Jane buckled shoes.

Lily sat down in-between Rhia and August. Peter, feeling like a total outcast, sat down next to August. Tiny Professor Flitwick stood up on several books with wand in hand. Since the Marauders never paid attention in class, Lily tried to busy herself with something other than listening to Flitwick. It was hard to do since her favorite class just happened to be Charms.

"Mister Black?"

"Lily," Rhia hissed and elbowed her in the side.

"Ow! What? Oh!" Lily turned her attention to the front of the room as several people snickered. "Well, that is a very good questions that entails a lot of consideration. I mean, there are loads of variables to intake."

"It's hard for you to decide whether or not you will be participating in the class today?"

Lily let out a small embarrassed chuckle. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her long legs on the desk in front of her. It was a position that Lily had seen Sirius sit in so many times that it was almost unnatural to do. In an after though, Lily flicked the shaggy black hair out of her eyes which made several of the girls in the room swoon. Why was it so easy for Sirius Black to have an instant following? Sure, he was cute, but there was really no need to drool over him the way most girls did.

"Well, Professor, it may seem like I'm doing nothing," Lily started, "but on a cellular level I am quite busy."

So, that really didn't blow over too well. Flitwick sighed before turning back to the rest of the class to give instruction. It wasn't long before a piece of paper came flying at Lily. She opened it and smiled when she saw the words on the paper.

_"You're doing quite a great job, Poppet."_

The bell rang and the students filed out of the Charms room. Sirius practically ran to meet up with Lily. He tried to place an arm around her, but found that he couldn't since he was too short. Lily laughed.

"You really are super short, you know that?" Sirius inquired.

"Doesn't it suck?"

"Majorly."

"Good. That way you'll stop making fun of me for it."

"That's asking quite a lot from me, Poppet."

Lily smirked and made her way towards Transfiguration, another class that the Marauders failed to pay attention in. It was one class, however, that Lily wasn't looking forward to. The boys always sat in the front of the room and were the smartest in the class. James and Sirius also seemed to have a personal relationship with McGonagall. That relationship was something that made Lily anxious to step a foot into that classroom.

The period went by smoothly until they actually had to do the practical part of the class. Sirius was always one who could transfigure anything wonderfully within the first couple of times of trying. It took Lily a good five years to do the simplest transfigurations. All she had to do was transfigure an inanimate object into an animate. Surely, it wasn't going to be that hard? Wrong!

"Mister Black, I want to see you after class."

Oh, Lily was sure McGonagall knew something was up. She turned around to see _'Lily'_ giving her a curious look. She only shook her head and turned back to her box with ears, whiskers, and a tail. Feeling utterly hopeless, Lily flopped down in her chair in defeat. Mirages were probably minus fifty points for making head of house realize something was off about Sirius Black.

The bell rang. Lily got up hoping to scramble out of the class before McGonagall would know what hit her, but the professor called Lily back into the classroom. She slowly made her way up to the front of the room, loosening the tie around her neck. She clenched the strap of Sirius's messenger bag tightly. McGonagall sifted through several pieces of parchment without saying anything. Lily looked down at Sirius's shiny dress shoes. The professor cleared her throat which caused Lily to look at McGonagall through the black fringe obscuring her vision.

"I know what happened over the holiday, but I would hope that this… misfortune you found yourself in will not effect your class performance any longer."

"No, Ma'am."

McGonagall looked slightly taken back. Her usual stern, apathetic face turned soft and friendlier than Lily had ever seen it. She didn't look like the strict Transfiguration professor who never favored her own house. She looked at the student in front of her as though she was a loving aunt who cared deeply for the child. It was eerie and foreign.

"Sirius, I know that there is a lot going on in your life right now, but I would hope you would focus your frustration onto something productive." McGonagall smiled softly. "You are an outstanding student and if only you could focus on the important things in life, you will go far."

"I'll try."

Lily felt uncomfortable talking to McGonagall like this. Her professor actually thought she was Sirius! What would she do if she ever found out that it had been a lie? That her own students were deceiving her? It was obvious that she cared deeply about her students' affairs, but Lily never realized just how much she did until that moment.

"Von and Richard speak very highly of you, did you know that?"

Von and Richard? The names sounded so familiar but Lily couldn't quite put her finger on where she had heard them before. Then it hit her. They were Von and Richard Potter – James's parents. How could she have forgotten? She watched as Mrs. Potter kissed James and hugged Sirius at the train station.

"They're very good people," Lily replied, unsure of what else to say.

"I know you might feel a strain in your family, but there are those in your family you can turn to. I recently ran into Andromeda and her daughter the other day. She asked about you. She too is feeling the wrath of your mother." McGonagall paused and looked Lily over. "I know your parents are pressuring you and Rosamund Lestrange to marry and tie the final connection between the Black and Lestrange families, but I have no doubt that the two of you will focus more on your schoolwork than the social standings of your families."

_Marry?_ Lily thought, _Marriage at the age of fifteen?_ Wasn't that a little too young? Who was Rosamund Lestrange anyways? The name Lestrange sounded familiar, but Lily couldn't place it. Instead, she merely nodded her head. Eyes wandered to the clock on the wall and her insides froze. Lily only had about five minutes before the Polyjuice Potion wore off. It would be the third time she would have to take it today and that thought made her feel sick.

"Professor, thank-you for your concern. I really would like to go to lunch, however. I'm famished."

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. With a wave of a hand, she dismissed the Gryffindor. Lily ran out of the room and down the corridor. Before she could find a safe place to drain the potion, Lily felt herself changing rapidly. Her legs were shrinking so fast that she nearly toppled over. The black hair was growing and turning a bright red. Lily gave out a small, manly squeal and turned right into a small nook.

Lily fumbled in Sirius's robes until she found the vial filled with Polyjuice. Plugging her nose, she drained the contents with a look of disgust on her face. It was then that she quickly started changing back into Sirius Black. Two transformations in less than five minutes was not a pleasant experience.

Feeling anything but hungry, Lily sank down onto the floor and drew her knees close to her chest. She felt sick to her stomach and wanted nothing more than to pass out and not wake up for a week. She heard a female voice calling out the name 'Sirius'. Pretending not to hear the voice, Lily closed her eyes and leaned back onto the cold stonewall.

It wasn't long before Lily saw herself peering into the nook. She watched as herself came walking into the nook and slid down onto the floor next to her. A pale arm found it's way around her shoulders and tried to pull her close, but considering she was bigger, it didn't really have the same effect.

"So, I hear you are to be married," Lily whispered.

"Yeah, well, my family is a bunch of nutters."

"So, it's an arranged marriage?"

"Yeah." Sirius laughed bitterly. "My mother really doesn't trust me to marry into a nice Pureblood family, so Father and her decided for me. My cousin, Bellatrix, is to marry Rodolphus Lestrange, to marry into the family. Rosamund, in return, is supposed to marry into the Black family and tie both families together both ways – make them more united or whatever."

"If you didn't want to marry into the Lestrange family, couldn't your brother marry in for you?"

"That's funny, Lily," Sirius said slowly as though trying to find the right words. "I am the heir to the Black family, therefore I have to be the one to ensure the ties between the Lestrange and Black families are strong. Only in the event of my death could Regulus rightly take my spot as heir."

"That's stupid," Lily exclaimed.

"Not always, if you are in love with that person then it's not so bad. Look at Frank Longbottom and Alice Prewett. They're both Purebloods. They both got their choice on which Pureblood family they wanted to unite, and they love each other so it wasn't so bad. Since I was five years old, I was told that my future wife was to be this three year old who always cried because her older brothers would pick on her."

"She's only thirteen?"

"Yes, as soon as she turns seventeen, a marriage is supposed to take place. I will be nineteen."

"But, what if you fall in love with someone else?"

"Marrying Rosamund is an obligation that I have to fulfill to remain the rightful heir of the Black family and inherit everything in the event of my father's death."

Lily stayed quite, trying to understand the logic of what Sirius was saying. It didn't make any sense what so ever. Were all the Purebloods supposed to marry into a Pureblood family? Was Rhia's future already predetermined? Why was James Potter chasing after her if he was to marry a Pureblood into the Potter family?

"Are you going to go through with it then?" Lily questioned.

Sirius snorted and looked over at Lily. He smiled softly and reached out to fix the mop of black hair on top of her head. Of course, Sirius couldn't be seen with his hair out of place. It was just something that you never saw. Did he always look so perfect because it was a family obligation? Is that why nearly all the Purebloods – that Lily knew of – all looked like models out of a magazine?

"Are you kidding? You think I would let my Pureblood maniac parents decide my future?" asked Sirius. "Rosamund is nice enough, pretty enough, isn't that crazy about Pureblood mania, but… she just can't be my wife. We're too different. She's serious, smart, and hates breaking the rules. She feels as though she has an obligation with her family and has to follow everything they say, even if she doesn't think they have the right idea. Her brothers are already joining ranks with Voldemort, and her parents want her to pledge her alliance with him. You know what she did when they suggested it?"

"What?"

"She told them that she would have to converse with her future husband on the matter first. Then she shows up at my house nearly crying her eyes out. I took her upstairs where we could talk in private, you know. She was telling me that her father had slapped her across the face and told her that she isn't a Black yet and therefore had to do what the Lestranges do – be loyal to the causes they saw fit. She told me that Rodolphus has already taken the mark and Rabastan was next. Then she was to go after them when she turned fifteen. I guess that means Voldemort starts recruiting at the age of fifteen. She was so scared… I felt sorry for her. I couldn't help but think that I was grateful that my parents were too cowardly to associate with Voldemort."

"That's horrible," Lily choked out.

"Yeah, well, that's my family for you."

"Do you protect her then?"

"Who? Rosamund?"

"Yeah."

Sirius didn't reply right away. He looked away and adjusted himself on the floor, not even thinking about the fact that he was in a skirt. Lily reached over and adjusted it. It was her reputation that would be ruined if anyone saw. Sirius laughed softly.

"I sort of protect her, I guess. I mean, I sort of view her as my little sister in a sense." He paused. "We've known each other for so long. I always stood up for her when Rodolphus and Rabastan would pick on her. She's just this great kid who doesn't deserve to be in the Lestrange family. But, she puts up with it, you know. She doesn't let it bring her down or ruin her life. She doesn't think about what's going to happen to her when she turns fifteen. And she doesn't think about what's going to happen when I refuse to marry her. She likes this boy. His name is Frankie Alcove. He's a fourth year Ravenclaw. She told me once that she just wanted to kiss the boy, but was afraid that she'd get some sort of disease from his saliva."

"She seems sweet."

"Yeah, she is."

"I'd like to meet her."

Sirius turned towards her and smiled. "I'd like you to meet her too. When you're you and not me that is."

Lily laughed and stood up, reaching her hands out to help Sirius up as well. The two made their way to Gryffindor Tower, both deciding to skive off of their afternoon class. Who needed History of Magic anyways? With their arms linked, the two chatted all the way while they walked. Not about serious stuff, but about the fun, laughing sort of stuff. One serious conversation a month was enough for the two. They needed to have fun for that was the foundation of their relationship.

It was depressing to think that there was only two and a half years left of happiness for the Mirages and Marauders generation. Once they graduated, their graduating class would fall into one of four categories: Order of the Phoenix member, Death Eater, resistance, and neutral. Many would fall to the Dark Lord and to his Death Eaters. Many would fall to the Order of the Phoenix. Many tears would be shed and many lives lost. But in that moment at Hogwarts, they couldn't be touched. They were happy, excited, and desperately trying not to think of the future.

Author's Notes – Wow, it's been over a month since I've updated. So sorry about that. I've been so busy. Right now, I need to learn a Julius Caesar speech, so I apologize for not replying to your reviews. Next time, I promise I will. You are all wonderful and your kind words mean so much to me. Please excuse the horrible grammar as well. I figured you would rather read the chapter semi-sloppy than to wait an extra week while I revise. So please, leave a little review before you leave. Thanks.


	20. Book in Face

Chapter Summary –

"Fancy seeing you here." James was such a prick.

"Yeah, well, if you stalk someone, it's pretty easy to find them," Lily snapped.

Chapter Title – Book in Face

_ Apparently being Sirius Black is harder than one would originally thinks. Rhia and I weren't a very good Sirius and James. I guess professors and fellow classmates were too suspicious of us since we didn't pull one prank, tortured one student, tormented one Slytherin, or said a snide comment to one professor. Go figures. August and Remus did the best at the competition – though they are exactly alike so it wasn't a big surprise. They were each awarded 150 points each. Sirius and I did the second best. Sirius was awarded 100 points while I was awarded 105 (Ha! Beat that!) Maybe some of the people who were usually afraid of Sirius hexing them thought he was having an off day. James and Rhia did the worst of the bunch. Apparently during the lunch that Sirius and I missed, James hexed Severus Snape. Well, let's just say that people were confused on why Rhia would hex any of the Slytherins. Rhia got detention due to James's stupidity. Then Rhia hexed James. Let's just say that Rhia got 25 points, and James received 0. The standings were this: 275 for the Mirages and 250 for the Marauders. As for who is winning the competition? I really don't know. August and Remus have the final scoreboard. I believe the Mirages are leading by 20 points or something like that. Note to self – ask August who is winning competition._

It was February 13th, and Lily was dreading the following day – Valentine's Day. Apparently, Saint Valentine was really a goblin that didn't want to be a goblin. A nice goblin that wanted to spread love and friendship. A goblin that hated being a goblin and just wanted to be a wizard in love. Apparently, that goblin was crazy. Lily only learned all of this because Paris Van Arden wanted to exchange Valentines around the school. If someone were your friend, you would send them a white flower. If you liked them, you sent them a pink flower. If you were madly, deeply, and insanely in love with them, then you sent them a red flower. However, Lily just thought Paris wanted as many gifts as she could get. She was such a stupid wench.

Lily walked down the corridors in a pair of jeans and an argyle sweater – a gift from her crazy father. Sirius cryptically told her to meet him next to the One-Eyed Witch statue, although Lily had no idea where said statue was located. Therefore, she just started wandering aimlessly around hoping to find Sirius sometime soon.

About ten minutes into her meandering, Sirius came running towards her with an annoyed look on his face. He stopped in front of her and placed his hands on his hips. Lily smiled which only made Sirius laugh.

"I was looking all over for you," he complained as he positioned himself next to her.

"I didn't know where the statue was," Lily explained as Sirius's arm found its way around Lily's shoulders.

"You could have asked."

"That would have taken a lot of energy."

"And wandering around the school doesn't?"

Lily didn't reply. She just continued to walk comfortably with Sirius. It was odd. A year ago, if Sirius walked with her with his arm around her and joked around with her, Lily would have kneed him in the crotch. Now, however, Lily somewhat thought of Sirius as her best friend. He was always there for her, always making her laugh. It was odd in a sense, but she loved it. He helped ease the pain of her growing apart from Rhia.

The two moseyed into the kitchens where a thousand house elves immediately asked them if they needed anything. Sirius waved them off and strolled towards the table in the middle of the room. There sat a beautiful girl that looked a lot older than she was. Her back was straight, her black hair brushed perfect down to the small of her back. Her eyes were dark and mysterious. Her face was white and looked like porcelain. She wore a green blouse and black knee-high skirt. Her ankles were crossed one in front of the other.

"Hello, Sirius," she spoke fluently.

"Hello, Rosamund," he replied, suddenly a lot proper than Lily had ever seen him.

Sirius sat down across from Rosamund with his back straight, hands folded in his lap. Lily sat down next to him, feeling the need that she too had to be proper in their presence. She crossed her legs and tried her hardest not to slouch forward. Unconsciously, Lily arched her back slightly and rested her hands on the table in front of her.

"Lily, this is Rosamund Lestrange. Rosamund, this is Lily Evans," Sirius introduced them.

"Hi." Lily smiled.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Even her greetings were impeccable. Wasn't she only thirteen? "I trust that your parents are well?"

"I think that you would know better than I would," Sirius retorted bitterly.

"You have failed to be a scorch mark yet." Rosamund smirked. "I looked at the family tree while I was at Grimmauld Place for Christmas."

"Lucky you. Although, I do think that within a year or two I will become scorch mark number seven. Lucky number seven."

Scorch mark? Lily found it very difficult to follow in on the conversation. How many times was she clueless about what people were talking about because she was a Muggleborn? Too many to count.

"Though, I am sure that if Walburga found out about you consorting with Miss Evans, she would no doubt blast you off the tapestry."

"Oh, she already knows about Lily and me."

"Wait, what do you mean 'Lily and me'? Are you implying something sexual?" Lily interrupted.

"She was with the Paddock heir." Rosamund made it sound like an honor.

"Bloody bastard."

"He is already one of them. Rodolphus told me. He was at your estate as well."

"Figures."

"One of what?" Lily inquired.

"A Death Eater," Sirius replied.

"Oh," Lily replied with her insides twisting, "those crazy people."

Rosamund turned her head and looked at Lily with a small smile creeping her face. It seemed as though as soon as the girl's eyes rested on Lily, they quickly left to look at Sirius. It was irritating the hell out of Lily. She wasn't _that_ hideous to look at, was she?

"You must be careful, Miss Evans." Rosamund looked up at her again and held her gaze. "You are a Muggleborn. You are constantly being watched. They will harm you if they think you are a threat."

"Good thing I leave bite marks," she joked.

Rosamund turned towards Sirius and quirked her eyebrow up in the air. Obviously, this Rosamund didn't have a sense of humor. That or she took life way to seriously. _Just like all of your friends. They think Voldymelts isn't someone to joke about_, Lily thought bitterly.

"Lily likes to joke," Sirius commented. "Very witty she is."

"You two are perfect friends then." Rosamund smiled.

"You know, when all the little girls wanted to be princesses or ballet dancers, I secretly wanted to be a stand-up comedian," Lily announced.

"See why I like her?" Sirius asked. "She's funny."

"Yes, hilarious," Rosamund commented with a grin.

"Sarcasm is such a beautiful thing." Lily smiled.

"She's stubborn too!"

"I am not stubborn!" Lily objected. "I'm just always right."

The three sat in the kitchens for an hour chatting. Although, Lily still felt uncomfortable when they departed. She didn't feel like she was classy enough around Rosamund. Sirius was nothing like that and he was an 'heir'. It was odd in a sense to Lily, for she didn't really understand a lot of the Wizarding World yet despite the fact that she entered five years before.

As Lily was walking to the library to do some much needed homework, she saw James Potter stalking her from behind. It was irritating to say the least. She tried to ignore him and walked towards her favorite table in the back corner. It was nice and secluded. However, James Potter sat at the table right in front of her. They looked at each other. Lily melted inside. Why did she have to feel this way? She hated him. Hated him. Hated him. Right?

Lily tore her eyes away from his and dug through her bag to pull out her Arithmancy homework. Opening her textbook to page 186, she found several of her number charts lying in the book with the corner bent. Lily squinted slightly as she picked up to charts and looked at them.

She was a six. A six, which was according to Professor Vector, it was a very good number to be. She highly doubted it though. It seemed to bring her nothing but grief. Being a six meant being nearly killed, being stalked, loosing friendships, and whatever else six wanted to throw at her. Her name started with an "L" therefore, according to the book, she's _well adjusted but accident prone_. You could certainly say that again.

Lily looked up to see James Potter had a book open but his eyes were watching her. He smirked and waved slightly. Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. She stood up and went over to the bookcase just so that Potter would stop staring at her like she was a piece of meat. 'Lo and behold, James Potter followed her like a little kid who lost his mother. He certainly reached the peak of his obsession with her. Creep.

"Fancy seeing you here." James was such a prick.

"Yeah, well, if you stalk someone, it's pretty easy to find them," Lily snapped.

"Look, Evans, I just think we would be perfect for each other. So why don't we just go on a date, and I'll prove it to you."

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Or would you rather me just scream it in your face?"

"Oh, you look so cute when you're angry."

"Get out of my way before you find yourself hurt!"

"Oh, Evans!"

James leaned forward, his lips puckered up with his eyes closed. Lily quickly grabbed the nearest book and shoved it between the two of them, turning her face sideways as though she thought he could kiss through the book. His lips collided with the book, his glass askew. Lily peered around the book to see him look puzzled for several seconds.

"Wow, you'd make a really good Seeker!" James exclaimed, whipping his mouth with his sleeve. "I think we're on the brink of something really beautiful."

"Leave now." Lily's voice was dangerously low.

"Was your father a thief? Because I think he stole all the stars in the sky and put them into your lovely eyes."

"Argh!"

Lily threw the book at James's face which caused him to cry out in pain. Lily stormed off towards her things and quickly picked them up as fast as she could. She could see Madam Pinch storming towards their direction. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, Lily stole a glance over at James to see his right lens was cracked and his nose bleeding. She didn't think she threw it _that_ hard. He was such a baby.

"You love me more than you know, Evans! Just wait!" he yelled, letting the blood run freely down his face.

Fuming, Lily stormed towards the library doors. She could hear Madam Pince fussing over James. Then she felt as though she just wanted to die, Brent Paddock was watching her with a sick smirk stretched upon his face. Lily wanted nothing more than to vomit right on the spot. A hand touched her shoulder, and she jumped away.

"Whoa, Poppet! What's going on?"

Sirius. It was just Sirius. Lily shook her head furiously. She just wanted to get out of there. She brushed pass him, knowing that he was looking between her, James, and Paddock. Which one would he choose? Would Sirius go after her or stay behind with James?

"Tell me what happened."

Sirius picked her. He was right beside her, talking to her. Why would he do that while his best friend just might need a nose transplant? Lily decided that Sirius confused her a great deal.

"Just go see to your _best friend's_ broken nose."

"You broke his _nose_?" asked Sirius with utter disbelief in his voice.

"I don't know," Lily huffed. "Maybe. Does it really matter?"

"Why were you even _attempting _to break his nose?"

"He's a jerk, an asshole, and immature. He doesn't make sense, and sometimes I just want to strangle him."

"Stupid git," Sirius muttered. "I have this theory, you see. I told James to stay away from you so that you'd know what you were missing. However, he's a little thick to say the least."

"Are you trying to get us together or something?" Lily stopped in her tracks to stare at him in utter disbelief.

"Well, Remus and I think it would do you both some good if you just get together."

"Remus? Remus my sweet, polite, nice prefect partner? That Remus?"

"Hey, why aren't I your sweet, smart, pretty whatever you said about him?"

Lily rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk on; this time walking as fast as her little legs would allow her. Within seconds, Sirius was beside her again, his hands stuffed in his pockets. _Damn him and his long legs_, Lily thought bitterly. She tried to pick up some more pace, but she was near running at that point so she decided just to walk normal since he wasn't going to leave her alone.

"Why won't you just give him a chance? You never know, maybe you'll actually like him."

"I'm looking for my knight in shining armor, not some loser in aluminium foil."

"Excuse me?" asked Sirius.

"Aluminium foil… it's a Muggle thing."

"You and your crazy Muggle inventions." Sirius laughed. "What is it?"

"It's foil made of aluminum. It cooks or stores food mostly."

"That's crazy!" he proclaimed in awe. "Do you have some with you? I want to see it!"

"No, I don't randomly carry around aluminium foil, sorry. And stop being weird and crazy about it," Lily commanded. "You're creeping me out."

"This summer, can I come over to your house to see the wonder that is _a-loo-la-limb_ foil?"

"Aluminium," Lily corrected, "and no."

"_A-loo-loo-limb."_

"Sirius, you are seriously being annoying."

"_A-loo-la-tin_."

"Sirius, stop."

"_A-loo-sa-limb_."

"Aluminium!" Lily shouted so loudly that several people stopped to stare at her, and then proceeded to snicker and whisper about the crazy redheaded prefect.

"Well, excuse me!" Sirius frowned. "I guess I mistook you for someone else, someone who actually gives a damn about me."

"Look, I'm sorry." Lily's jaw tightened. "You were annoying the hell out of me though."

"How? I was just trying to pronounce one of those crazy Muggle words."

"Yeah, well, to Muggles those aren't such crazy words! Those 'crazy words' to you mean a lot to them! They need that stuff to survive! It doesn't just go poof the dishes are cleaning themselves or _poof!_ the toilet flushes automatically or _poof! _the bed is made or _poof! _ the food is stored."

"Lily…"

"Just because you're rich and gorgeous and Pureblood doesn't make you better than everyone else!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it right there! Not once have I ever said I was better than anyone else! Not once have I ever called Muggles lower or whatnot! I'm not my family!"

"You sure as hell act like you're better than everyone else," Lily spat. "You and Potter strut around the school like you bloody well own the place. You humiliate anyone you don't like. You give the professors the hardest time. You're constantly in trouble – losing points and landing in detention. You hurt people, and you don't give it a second thought! You think it's perfectly all right!"

People started to gather around the two so they could watch them bicker back and forth. Rhia was amongst them with Remus by her side. They both looked slightly worried since they knew full well that Lily and Sirius were two of the most stubborn people they had ever met. Even Severus Snape stopped to take in the scene before him with a twisted smirk worked upon his face. Oddly enough, out of all the people watching, was Albus Dumbledore with a sad look etched on his face.

"Oh, so you mean just getting back at people who would call you a Mudblood in an instant and not care how much it hurt you is a bad thing?"

"That's not your job! You don't have to defend anyone here! If I get called a Mudblood, that's my fight! Not yours!"

"They're not out to get me! They're out to get you!" Sirius hissed. "To murder you because they think you don't belong here."

"A whole bunch of teenagers are going to try to kill fellow teenagers? Would you listen to yourself? You sound ridiculous."

"You haven't been in the Wizarding World long enough to understand how it works."

Lily felt a jab in her heart, a pain in her gut. His words cut through her like a knife and brought tears to her eyes. He basically just told her she didn't belong. She couldn't understand a world she had grown to love. Without thinking, letting emotions control her, Lily reached out and slapped Sirius across the face. Her hand burned. Red imprints shone brightly on Sirius's pale skin.

"You have no right," Lily whispered.

"I have every right," he shot back with hurt clouding his eyes. "You need to understand we are at war. You need to realize that not everyone is as good and as innocent as they seem. They will hurt you. They will kill you."

"Why do you care?" questioned Lily. "Why do you care if they supposedly want to kill me?"

"You're my friend," Sirius stated confused.

"Am I? Or are you just trying to butter me up so I'll go out with your best friend so I'll be another notch under his belt?"

"You're being unreasonable," he whispered, "and crazy on top of that."

"You're being obnoxious and a complete idiot, so I guess we're even."

Lily turned her head to wipe away the tears that threatened to fall when she noticed all the people gathered around them. She closed her eyes and wanted nothing more than to just sink into the floor and disappear forever. She opened them again to see Snape staring at her with an odd look in his eyes… something foreign that she couldn't quite describe. As soon as it appeared, it was replaced with his normal cold stare of complete hatred.

"What is going on here?"

Turning her head towards the voice, Lily saw McGonagall strolling towards the group. Then she realized that the headmaster had most likely watched the whole fight. Turning again, she saw Rhia, Remus, August, and Peter standing in a small huddle. They were all whispering to each other. James Potter was now walking towards them with confusion written on his bloodless face. Almost immediately, James was talking to Remus.

Lily looked back at Sirius with his eyes blazing something furious. Had she just ruined their perfect friendship? What would she do without that boy poking fun at her and calling her names? What would she do when he didn't walk with her to class or joked about random things? She couldn't bear to think she lost him because of her stupid hormonal rampages.

She couldn't take it anymore. She just had to get away. Lily ran down the corridors, her fiery hair flying wildly behind her. A female voice was calling her name, but Lily wasn't listening. Her side started to burn and her heart felt as though it was going to beat out of her chest. Right. Left. Straight ahead. Her name was ringing through the corridors, footsteps chasing from behind her.

Lily dodged left and found herself in an abandoned classroom. Her side felt as though it were on fire now. She really wasn't in any kind of shape. Her breaths were long and rickety. Melting down against the wall, she dragged her knees up to her chest. She sat there with her head on her knees for merely twenty seconds before Rhia Cromwell came barging into the classroom. Her face was red, and she was huffing. The two girls looked at each other before Rhia finally decided to slide down the wall next to Lily.

"Hi," Rhia whispered.

"Hey," Lily replied.

"Long time no talk."

"You can say that again."

The two lapsed into silence. Lily closed her eyes and saw that the backs of her eyelids were burning red. She felt dizzy and wanted nothing more than pass out. She opened her eyes quickly. Rhia and her were talking. Maybe they could fix… this – whatever _this_ was.

"I saw Sirius and you fighting," Rhia commented softly.

"I saw you there." Lily looked up at her best friend.

"Do you like to get hurt or something?" she asked.

"Maybe I do. It's sort of my thing lately," Lily responded thoughtfully. "It's like I have a stupid sign over my head saying, 'Stab here.'"

Rhia didn't respond. She turned her head away from Lily. A jab hit Lily square in the chest. Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn't they just get along like they used to? It was killing both girls inside even though neither would admit it.

"I'm here for you, Lily, you know that right?"

_Could have fooled me_, Lily thought bitterly.

"Sure."

"I mean it."

"Sure."

"Why do you always have to do this?"

"Do what?"

"This! You- you always pretend that you don't care what people think of you or how they act towards you, but it really kills you inside," Rhia started. "What Sirius said is true, but you chose to go into denial about it so you don't have to face it! There is a war out there, and a lot of good people are dying for it. You nearly died at Hogsmeade and yet, you pretend that it doesn't bother you that your ex-boyfriend was the one who tried to do it."

"Gosh, if drama was alcohol, this whole frickin' school would be wasted." Lily smiled tightly.

"Then you go and make your stupid jokes!" Rhia huffed.

"Fine, Rhia, I guess I'm just a horrible friend, a horrible student, a horrible person, and most of all, a horrible Mudblood."

Lily stood up and made her way towards the door, anger pulsing through her. Rhia scrambled up off the floor behind her and jetted towards the door, blocking it. Lily wanted to scream, but contained herself.

"Move."

"Not until you listen to me!" Rhia exclaimed. "The worst way to miss someone is to be standing right in front of them and not knowing who they are anymore."

"I'm still Lily Evans. It's you and the rest of the sodding student body who has changed. Now move before I force you to."

"I hate what is happening between us."

"Yeah, well, join the club," Lily snapped. "People change, get over it."

"I guess so."

Rhia stepped away from the door to allow Lily to go through. The two girls stared at each other, not knowing what to say or what was to come. Rhia nodded. Lily gave a strained smile. It was understood. They were no longer best friends. They no longer knew each other. They were strangers in a world that was slowly falling apart. They would each chose their own paths.

Lily looked in the mirror and saw nothing but a girl dealing with too many hormones, the girl who wanted to die for loving a boy that didn't make sense to her, for fighting with the one boy who could actually make her smile, and for losing her best friend because of war. She wanted the pain and frustration to go away and never come back. It would be until years later that Lily would look in the mirror and see all that she had been though but still find herself able to laugh at the past. She would realize she could love with her heart again. She would see a woman who would walk down a hallway with her head held up high, dignity in her steps. She would fake a smile in the hardest of times just to spite of all of those who tried so hard to break her, but never could.

Author's Notes – Wow, twenty days and this is up. It's been a while since I've done something so fast. Now, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining or whining, but this needs to be said. 387 people read the last chapter that I posted and only 10 people reviewed. Do you see my problem with those figures? I want to be an author when I'm older, and I post fanfiction to get people's feedback. Now, I know my grammar sucks major butt because I never revise, but I'd like to know what people think about my ideas and writing style. For those of you who do review, you're lovely and can read responses to your reviews on my live journal. However, if I don't get more reviews, I will no longer be posting this story up on So if you want to read it, you better review.


	21. The Walking Tragedy

Chapter Summary – "Shh, Poppet. Close your mouth and just sit back. It's a beautiful thing if you will just let it play its course."

Chapter Title – The Walking Tragedy

_How is it that in a matter of 24 hours I somehow managed to ruin almost all of my relationships? Is there something wrong with me? Why do I always do this? I wish I didn't say the things I've said, done the things I've done. I find myself cast in the shadows of the delusions I created for myself. It's better to deny that everything that is happening isn't that important than to be break down from the pressure. Note to self: I miss my friends terribly. This is what would be called a stupid Lily moment._

Bag slung over her shoulder, determination painted on her face, Lily strolled through the corridors of Hogwarts on Valentine's Day. She tried her hardest not to think of what happened the day before, but she found it increasingly difficult. She had to change. She knew it. It hurt too much to think about the horrible person she had become… the person she always despised.

Lily strolled into History of Magic and took a seat towards the back, plopping down heavily and throwing her bag on the floor. Several people turned around to look at her, whispering as they did so. She turned her head and tried to block out the deafening murmurs. She didn't want to hear the rumors and the insults that were most likely being thrown her way.

"She actually _slapped_ Sirius Black across the face," one whispered.

"I heard she's mentally _unstable_," another hissed with a giggle.

"Apparently her parents were murdered by _You-Know-Who_ and that's why she went _bonkers_ on Black."

"Yeah, I heard Sirius' parents had her parents _murdered_ because _she_ was the one he got pregnant at the beginning of the year."

"She had an _abortion_?"

Tears tickled Lily's eyes and threatened to fall. She furiously wiped them away with the back of her hand. She couldn't do this. She couldn't do this. She couldn't do this. Lily folded her arms and buried her faces within it, pushing her eyes so hard into her forearm that they started to ache. Spots blurred her vision in various colors. It didn't block the voices, however.

"Why'd Sirius want to sleep with her? She's _not_ even _pretty_."

"Shh, Sirius just walked in!"

Lily pushed her head farther down into her arms. Her head started to pound, and the colors clouding her eyes became so intense she was starting to get dizzy. A seat was scratched against the floor close to her. A bag was thrown onto the table and brushed up against Lily's arms. Who would want to sit next to her?

"Why are you doing this?" Sirius's voice asked as his hand brushed her arm.

"I'm not doing anything," she muttered into the table. Why is he even still talking to her after what she did?

"This isn't the Lily I like or know."

"She died," Lily replied into the desk.

"That's a shame." Sirius sighed. "The Lily I liked was the kind of girl who would burst out laughing in dead silence because of something that happened the day before. Not a depressive, making out with the table kind of girl."

Lily smiled and a small chuckle emitted from her lips even though she tried not to. Okay, so Sirius could make her smile even when she felt like shit. He could forgive her for slapping him across the face and saying that he was a bigoted git. Not that he wasn't a git – he was, but he wasn't really _that_ bigoted.

"You're much to pretty to be so depressed," Sirius continued. Oh, he was a charmer.

Lily lifted her head and looked over at Sirius, who was painted in multicolored swirls. She blinked her eyes several times and tried to adjust them so that she could see Sirius clearly. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but just couldn't find herself able to actually speak them.

"The leader of the Goblin rebellion of 1655…"

Professor Binns floated through the wall and started rambling on about goblin rebellions. He never missed a step. Lily loved History of Magic because it was the one class where you could completely goof off in and old, ghostly Binns wouldn't do a thing about it. Lily turned to look at Sirius with a small smile on her face.

"I didn't get any flowers from you," Sirius commented.

"No one got any flowers," Lily whispered. "They don't get passed out until dinner."

"Damn, I wanted to wear one on my blazer all day."

"Sirius -"

"Don't." Sirius turned and crumbled up a piece of parchment. "I like to believe that you were majorly menstruating and that's why you slapped me across the bloody face."

"I didn't mean to… I don't know what's with me lately."

"Get off your period for one," Sirius replied as the corner of his lips pulled back. "You're actually pretty nice when your mouth isn't screwing it up though. That's why I accept the dozen red flowers you got me."

"Of course." Lily smiled.

Sirius drew back his arm and threw the ball of parchment towards the front of the room, hitting Rhia on the back of the head. She whipped around with her eyes narrows. Sirius waved and jerked his head towards Lily. Rhia shook her head before grabbing the parchment and threw it back as hard as she could, nailing Sirius right on the forehead.

"She'd be a fair chaser," Sirius commented, throwing the parchment now at Remus.

"Can I ask you a question?" inquired Lily as Remus ignored being hit on the back of the head.

"Can't guarantee an answer, but go ahead." Sirius crumpled up more parchment.

"If all Purebloods are in Slytherin, then why aren't you?"

"Not all Purebloods are in Slytherin, Lily."

"I just meant… the Lestranges and your brother and Snape –"

"Snape's not a Pureblood." Sirius turned and looked at Lily as though she were crazy.

_The Half-Blood Prince­_. Oh course, she already knew that. Stupid Lily. Stupid Lily. Trying to cover up her embarrassment, Lily forced a smile and tapped her quill onto the desk. Say something not so stupid now.

"Snape isn't a Pureblooded surname."

"And you know them all?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, unfortunately, I do."

"How'd he get in Slytherin then?"

"Look, Lily, does it look like I give two shits about Snape or any of those Death Eaters in training?" Sirius was getting irritated – majorly. "Why are you so concerned about them anyways? So what? They don't like you. They bloody well don't like me either."

"Sorry," Lily muttered as Sirius threw yet another piece of parchment towards the front of the room – this time at August. "What is with you throwing parchment?"

"I'm trying to get Feisty's attention, but she's being a right pain in the ass."

"Why do you want her attention?"

"Never you mind, Poppet. Never you mind," Sirius aid cryptically as he threw another bit of parchment and hit Rhia in the back of the head. "Do time, Poppet. Do time."

"Sirius –"

"Shh, Poppet. Close your mouth and just sit back. It's a beautiful thing if you will just let it play its course."

The rest of History of Magic resulted in Sirius throwing parchment at everyone after getting royally frustrated with Rhia's lack of response. Binns droned on about the wonders of Goblin Rebellions like the fact that Froh the Fuglie had a huge mole on his nose and was a sickening green color – oh, and the fact that he had 18 children.

The bell rang, and everyone scrambled quickly out of the room. Lily turned around to say something to Sirius only to see him far behind her whispering to Rhia and Potter. Feeling slightly hurt, Lily turned and walked towards the Great Hall for her free period. Unconsciously, she started to speed up so that she was nearly running.

"Evans!" Potter shouted. "Evans!"

This only made Lily go faster. She gripped her satchel tightly and pretended as though she hadn't heard anyone calling her name. Within seconds, Potter was jogging along side her with that _gorgeous _boyish grin splattered on his face. His hair, Lily regretfully noted, was getting long and fell messily into his sparkling hazel eyes. _Yuck,_ Lily thought,_ what is wrong with me?_

"Oi, Evans, can't you see I'm trying to talk to you?"

"_What_ do _you_ want?" Lily snapped.

"No need to get bitchy about it." Potter smiled.

"I'm _sorry_," Lily seethed. "I was never taught how to say, 'Piss off' politely."

"Oooh!" Potter laughed. "You have quite a mouth on you, did you know?"

Lily ignored him and pretended not to notice he was anywhere near her. Why did he always have to be such an ass? For once, couldn't he just be a nice, funny, loving guy who didn't feel the need to degrade everyone in his sight? Then again, to Lily, it seemed like every guy from the ages 13 to 20 were retarded and at 20, they graduate to stupid. James Potter seemed to graduate to stupid five years too early.

"Look, I really need to talk to you about something." Potter became very serious. "It's really important."

"What?"

"Not here."

Potter grabbed her wrist and led her away from the mass of people making their way to class. Lily tried to resist, yank her arm away, but Potter was holding on too tightly as though he expected her to try to break away. They walked for a couple minutes before Potter pushed her into an abandoned classroom. He shut the door softly behind him and stared at Lily.

"Three nights from now is the full moon," he started, "and you and Remus are scheduled a patrol. Remus forgot to get it rescheduled, and he's afraid to talk to Frank since the last time he talked about changing a patrol, Frank started asking him a whole bunch of questions. Remus would never ask you to do this, but I am because I know you value his friendship. Go to Frank and tell him _you_ need to change the patrol because _you_ don't feel well."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to explain the situation to Frank?"

"_No_!" James hissed. "Don't you dare! The Longbottoms are a very old family and hold very old ideals. No matter how friendly and kind Frank my seem, some old conceptions are hard to shake."

"You and Sirius are Purebloods, yet you two treat Remus like he's your brother."

"I was taught to be indifferent about such things because my mother came from a family where people with such _problems _were viewed as scum. Sirius comes from a family that he detests and therefore thinks about everything in the exact opposite form."

"Great best friend you are," Lily said dully.

"Excuse me?"

"You just said that Sirius is basically friends with Remus just to make his parents mad."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Potter snapped. "You just like to make everything way more complicated than it has to be, don't you, Evans? You like to lead people on, tarnish every friendship you have, and be a royal pain in the ass."

"How dare you?" Lily gasped. "You have no right to stand there and place that kind of judgment on me. To think that you have the audacity to say such a thing… it makes me sick! _You_ make me sick."

Lily stormed out of the classroom and made her way to the Great Hall. She was ten minutes late when she arrived. Everyone in the room looked at her oddly for a few seconds before turning back to their work. McGonagall pursed her lips and motioned for Lily to take a seat. Smiling apologetically, Lily looked quickly around the room to find someone to sit by.

Frank Longbottom sat by himself, writing feverishly onto a piece of parchment. His eyes wandered back and forth between two books that laid open in front of him and the parchment. Frank was nice enough, so Lily strolled towards him and sat down next to him. He briefly looked up at her when she sat, but quickly turned back to his work.

Rolling her eyes, Lily reached into her bag and grabbed her Defense Against the Dark Arts book. She flipped through the pages, not really feeling like doing any homework. She turned to Frank and bit her bottom lip. Turning around to see if McGonagall was watching, Lily tapped Frank lightly on the shoulder.

"Mmm?" Frank replied.

"I have a patrol in three nights," she whispered, "and I was wondering if I could change it."

Frank finally looked up from his work with a puzzled look on his face. Unconsciously, he tapped his quill on the desk and waited for Lily to continue – to say why she suddenly wanted to change a patrol three days away. What could Lily say? She should have waited so she could use the sick excuse.

"I'm just… I take my O.W.L.'s in several months, and the professors are stock piling us with assignments. I promised a friend I'd help him study Thursday, and I hate breaking promises." Lily's lie was flawless.

"What about Remus? Is he still patrolling?"

"Wouldn't it just be easier if we switch patrols with someone else?"

"I'll see if anyone wants to switch. If not… then I guess I could force Paris into it. She's the Head Girl, there's certain obligations that us heads have to follow."

"Well, Little Miss Prissy already hates me, so I don't think she'll mind having another excuse to hate me even more."

Frank snorted as a smile he crept upon his face. Shaking his head lightly, he turned back to his homework and continued to write. Lily propped her elbow up on the table to rest her hand comfortably into her hand. Her green eyes scanned the Great Hall looking for something entertaining to do – though with McGonagall as the free period monitor there wasn't much one could actually do without facing a crapload of trouble.

Lily turned down to her book which had a piece of parchment sticking out form it. She slid it out and carefully sat in on the trouble, concentrating hard. She looked up. Severus Snape sat by himself in the corner of the room. He was curled up against the wall, his knees bent up onto the bench so that his book was propped up. Lily shook his head and turned back to the bit of parchment and started to write a very long, heartfelt apology letter to a girl named Rhiannon Cromwell – stating how silly she had been, how stupid. She explained why her moods varied so much, and how much she just wanted it to go back to the way it used to be between them. It read:

_Rhia,_

_Do you think it hurts a lot to die? I don't know whether I would rather die from all the pain I've caused you and so many around me or stay alive. All I know is that it hurts a hell of a lot to be alive – harder than should be humanly possible. I don't want you to remember me as the fucking mess that is taking place, but rather as the girl who always had a smile planted on her face. I miss the old Lily. I miss the way I used to be. I've forgotten what it's like to be happy, honest, and friendly. I've forgotten how to trust. I've forgotten how to love._

_Brent hurt me, Rhia. He hurt me a lot, and I can't even comprehend why it hurts so much. To even think that he could possibly be one of those Death Eaters makes me sick inside. How can someone be so evil? Why did he even go out with me? Was I just an easy target? What exactly did he do to me? He's the reason I've been so distant, secluded, introverted. I've forgotten everything that I once knew. I'm hiding so much unacknowledged pain that I don't know how to deal with it. Nobody understands what I went though, what it was like to be betrayed by your so-called _boyfriend

_All I know is that I miss you, Rhia. I miss our talks, laughs, and crazy antics. I miss everything that we used to be. You're supposed to be my best friend, my other half, sidekick, sister, and partner in crime. Instead, we can't look at each other without wanting to die because our friendship somehow broke. I know it's my fault, my stupid hormones driving me crazy, my feelings of betrayal seeping through. I never meant to say the things I've said to you. I know that we could never go back to being the tight knit friends we used to be, but I hope that somewhere in your heart, you can forgive me and we can go back to being friends. It's so sad to think about how well we used to get on, and now we can barely speak a word to each other without yelling or getting upset._

_I want to grow old. I want to grow old with you living next door. I want to grow old and have our kids be best friend. I want to stay up late at night with you a hundred years from now and tell remember when stories. I want to laugh with you until our sides hurt so much that we might just break our old, wrinkly hips. I want us to become like those insane old ladies who have 50 billion cats, wear outrageous hats, and scream random things at people – but they wouldn't mind since they would just think we went crazy in our old age. I want people to come up to us and ask us how long we've been friends, and I want to be able to answer by saying, "Oh, forever! Since before your parents were even born!" I just want to grow old with you by my side, as my best friend. I don't want our friendship to break because I'm bloody well stupid. It's literally killing me inside, Rhia._

_We were the best of friends. We did everything together, all the time. It's pretty pathetic how one moment, one time, could change our whole friendship from everything to nothing at all. I'm standing on a ledge here, just waiting for someone to push me off – kill me so that I don't have to feel the pain any longer. I'm your classic tragedy, disaster, catastrophe or whatever you want to call me. What happened did happened for a reason even though I'm not quite sure what yet. I do know that sometimes things must fall apart in order to make them stronger when put back together. _

_I'm trying to get pass the fact that Brent did what he did to be. I know that I've made some mistakes. I know that I've said some awful things. I've been so concerned with writing my own little tragedy with my utterly messed-up mind. I know I'm not one for sharing feelings or emotions, but if you're willing to be friends again, I guess that I can start from the beginning and spill everything out to you. You have to be patient with me, I'm not used to this kind of thing. I'm not used to hating a world that I once loved. Anytime, day or night, I'm here for you if you're there for me. Let's forget the past and move forward with the future._

_The walking tragedy,_

_Lily_

_P.S. I've come to realize that "best friend" is not a label, but a promise – a promise that I will not once again break if you give me the chance._

The day went on in an excruciating slow rate. Finally, after what seemed like years, Lily walked into the Great Hall for lunch. Rhia sat next to Sirius, her hand touching his arm in suggestive way with James Potter on the other side of her – how increasingly irritating. Lily took the note out of her pocket. It burned in her hand. She strolled up behind Rhia and threw the parchment in front of her. The dark-haired girl turned around and caught gaze with Lily. Neither said anything, but then again, after a couple seconds of staring, Lily bolted down to the opposite end of the table.

Lily took a seat next to Kelly Watson for some god-awful reason. The bimbo was chatting it up with the beater Michael Lyndon – how stupid could he actually be to talk to Kelly the Whorebag? Lily reached out and grabbed a dinner roll, slowly peeling off the out layer and popping it into her mouth.

"I want to give you my greatest condolences," Whorebag smiled sweetly as she addressed Lily.

"Oh, it's okay. I know that it's hell sitting next to you, but sometimes you just can't help it, you know?"

"Argh," Whorebag scoffed, "I meant about the baby, Lily."

"The baby?" Lily's blood boiled. "I thought that people were suppose to give _you_ the condolences and not the other way around."

"What are you even talking about?"

Lily leaned forward, thinking quickly of something she could say to make Kelly the Whore explode with fury. Although, her mind wasn't quite working right at the moment and her wittiness wasn't really fully intact. Oh, well, Lily could at least say something cheesy and be done with it.

"Well, _Kelly darling_, it's not very nice to spread rumors about someone when said rumors are really about yourself." Lily flipped her hair back. "Why must you pick on me because of your… turbo slut act?"

"Excuse me?" she flared. "You – you –"

Before Kelly the Slut could say anything, white doves flew into the Great Hall bearing flowers. Hundreds of doves flew to their respective owners. One landed in front of Lily with at least 20 different flowers. Lily picked up a single red one and read the tag attached to the stem. It read, "_To the hottest prefect. Tommy Van Tassel_."

Lily laughed and looked around the room. She felt a tiny hand tap her one the shoulder. Turning around, she saw a small blonde-haired third year standing behind her. He gestured towards the flowers and wiggled his eyebrows. This made Lily burst out laughing.

"Tommy?"

"No, Henry." He looked confused and reached for a different red flower.

Lily took it from him and read the tag, "_If I could rearrange the alphabet, I would put 'U' and 'I' together. Go to Hogsmeade with me? Henry Timers_." Lily tried to contain her laughter. Who was playing this huge joke on her? Noticing the saddened look on Henry's face, Lily immediately stopped laughing.

"That's uh… very sweet of you, Henry. I'll take your offer into consideration."

"But –"

"Take a hike, kid." Sirius appeared behind him. "That redhead is mine."

Henry sulked away, going back to his friends. Sirius sat down next to Lily, an indescribable look on his face with a single white flower dangling in his hand. He raised it and showed it to Lily, a look of disappointment on his face. He then gestured to a dozen red flowers which were tied together with a pink ribbon in front of Lily.

"I gave you a dozen passionate red flowers, and you give me a reject white one."

"I rather think that a reject flower fits quite nicely with your reject personality."

"Ugh!" Sirius touched his heart with a pained look on his face. "Why must you always wound me?"

"Because it's fun."

The two friends smiled at each other before silently sharing a laugh together – a laugh that the two would always share for the rest of their lives. Their friendship would withstand anything that anyone shot at them. Even at times of complete turmoil, fearing for lives, or spending a week in the hospital after an attack would never falter them but only make them stronger. They were friends, and that's all that matter to them. They were soul mates – the kind of soul mates that make a person full. Not the romantic kind of soul mates, but the kind of loving, joking, crazy, hilarious kind of soul mates that could make each other forget everything bad and look on the bright side of things.

Author's Notes – Ew, it's been so long since I've updated. However, I only have 9 more weeks of school and then I can update a lot more. I'm going to try to get the next chapter up by April 28 – since that's my birthday, and I like to give on my birthday. I want to thank all my reviewers. 21 reviews out of 300 some. That's way better than ever before. Keep them coming, for they are beautiful. As for the replies to the review, I really need to work on a meiosis paper, so I shall be putting up replies to your reviews tomorrow. I'm thinking of getting rid of my livejournal and just putting the replies on my Yahoo! Group. So, I'll most likely reply in my Yahoo! Group. The link's in the profile. Don't forget to review!


	22. Off the Tower

Chapter Summary – Off the Tower

"See you!" Then, James Potter jumped off the Astronomy Tower.

Chapter Title – Jumping Off Towers

_I found out that a seventh year, three sixth year, two fifth years, seven fourth years, five third years, and a first year all want to shag me senseless – or at least date me. I came to this conclusion due to all the red flowers I received on Valentine's Day. My question is, why does no one from second year want to date me? Are they the only sensible year? Two fifth years? Do they not see_ _me in class? Why don't they want to run far far away? Well, I guess I should note this, but I don't know if I want to. I guess when I'm eighty I can look back and laugh until I piss myself. After dinner, James Potter walked up to be and handed five dozen red flowers. I took out my wand and set them on fire. The look at Potter's face was…horrified to say the least. Did he really think flowers would make up for five years of him acting like an ass?_

Since Remus and Lily changed their date for patrol, they were stuck doing it the day after Valentine's Day instead – which just happened to be Paris and Frank's patrol night. Therefore, the two prefects wandered through the empty hallways of Hogwarts in complete silence. Remus's mind was on the upcoming full moon while Lily's mind was frantically trying to understand why Rhia had not attempted to talk to her yet. Why was it Sirius could so easily forgive but Rhia held onto the grudge without a second thought? Lily didn't know whether or not she would want their opinions switched or not. No matter how much joy and laughter Sirius brought her, she felt as though she had lost another sister when she lost Rhia.

The two turned right down the Charms corridor. Flitwick's office door was slightly ajar as the light came spilling out into the hallway. Marching down the corridor, Lily couldn't help but become very tempted to throw herself off the Astronomy Tower and the patrol started only twenty minutes ago.

"Did you, Rhia, and August think up a competition yet?" Remus asked, breaking the silence.

"No," Lily replied, "I haven't even thought of it."

"February is almost gone." The two turned left to get out of earshot of Flitwick.

"Bully for February."

At the next fork hallway, two boys came meandering across the prefects' path. Remus raised his wand and muttered, "Lumos", and called for the two boys to stop. They were both tall – though everyone seemed tall to Lily. The one had brown hair and a smile planted on his face. The other was blonde and nudged the brunette boy in the ribs with his elbow.

"Stop, you're under arrest," Lily announced as the brunette laughed.

The prefects walked towards the boys who stood obediently still. As they drew nearer, Lily vaguely recognized the boys. They were upperclassmen in Ravenclaw. Shouldn't they know the rules of Hogwarts by now? They seemed as though they wanted to be caught.

"Okay, five points from Ravenclaw each," Lily told them. "Now go back to your dorm."

"Okay," the brunette stated as he shifted his weight.

"_Drake_," the other boy groaned, "just do it."

"Lily," the boy named Drake said quickly, "can I talk to you? Alone?"

Lily looked at Remus briefly before nodding her head. What did she have to lose? She walked with him a little ways down the hallway until they were out of earshot from Remus and the other boy. It was a couple minutes before Drake actually started to talk, even then it was just ramblings.

"I don't know if you know me – I hope you know me at least. My name's Drake Townsend – did you know that? I'm a seventh year Ravenclaw. I've noticed you around. I've seen all the things you've done with the prefects. That masquerade and the Christmas ball were brilliant. The professors always rave about you as well. Not to mention I've seen your sense of humor and can't help but smile whenever I see your face."

"Drake, what are you trying to say?" Lily's heart was beating fast.

"I know we don't know each other, but I'd really like to get to know you. What I've seen so far, I love. So I was wondering if you wanted to go to the next Hogsmeade with me."

Lily stood in a state of shock. Why in all that was holy would he want to go out with her? Was he insane? Did he bump his head? There was one thing that she couldn't get out of her head: he liked her for some unknown, crazy reason. She didn't know what to say to the boy. Did she like him? He seemed nice enough. It would sure as hell piss off James Potter.

"I'm not asking to be girlfriend/boyfriend, Lily, I'm just asking to get to know you better."

"I have to think about it," she whispered as she slowly walked back towards Remus. "I'm sorry. I'll let you know by next week."

The rest of the week went on at a slow pace. Lily struggled with the idea of going on a date with Drake Townsend seeing as she was afraid that she would only get hurt in the end. When Brent hurt her, Lily told herself that next time she thought about getting into a relationship, she'd smash her head into a wall instead because it would hurt less in the end. Then again, her mind fought with her on the subject. What if he was different? What if he wasn't planning on hurting her? What if he would never hurt her? What if he was the one?

It was Friday night when a meeting was called between the Mirages and the Marauders. Rhia came up with an idea for the February competition, and Lily would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly anxious about her plans. Rhia came up with the most ludicrous ideas ever since the girls met at the raw age of eleven. There was no doubt that the event would be fun nevertheless.

In the kitchens, with house elves bustling around attempting to force-feed the seven teenagers everything in the kitchen, they talked about the competition while eating food. The boys sat across from the girls. August sat in the middle since she was still friends with the other girls. The boys seemed slightly bored and looked as though they wanted nothing more than to just leave.

"An obstacle course," Rhia said indifferently as she munched on some fish and chips.

"Obstacle course?" August questioned.

"A magical one involving the castle tomorrow night. I have the whole thing planned out."

"Do tell," James encouraged as he perked up slightly.

"We start off in the dungeons and end it with jumping off the astronomy tower without a broom."

"Are you serious?" Lily interrupted, forgetting that she wasn't going to talk to Rhia until she either accepted or declined her friendship letter.

"No, he's Sirius," Peter piped up from next to the person in discussion.

"How the hell do you expect us not to die?" Lily questioned as she ignored Peter.

"You have to find a way or else you lose," Rhia answered simply.

"Do you have a way?" Remus inquired.

"Not yet," she replied honestly, "but it shouldn't be that hard."

"I love it." Sirius barked out a laugh. "We're only young and stupid once so why not live it up?"

The next day rolled around, and Lily received her list of the obstacles that were to be completed that night. Hunting the Prefects was bad enough, but the obstacle course was worse if that was even possible since it consisted of stealing, attacking, and near death experiences. With the list in her hand, Lily read the list several times as her disbelief grew.

_1. Competition starts in dungeons where each contestant must successfully steal the ingredients for an Icing Potion, which they must brew._

2. Race to the fifth floor with your potion. However, before you arrive, you must successfully stun one perfect.

_3. Once on fifth floor, in the Transfiguration Wing, pour your Icing Potion onto the floor and skate down the corridor._

_4. Find the secret passageway that leads to the seventh floor. It's the drapery of the crying woman._

_5. Go through the trap door that leads to the abandoned classroom at the end of the seventh hallway, grabbing one of the seven flags positioned there. There are also seven shovels, grab one of those too._

_6. Go all the way back to the second floor in Binn's classroom. There is a muggle sandyboxer there with seven keys buried. Find your key via the shovel._

_7. DON'T LOSE THE KEY!_

_8. Make your way to the Astronomy Tower._

_9. Insert your key into the correct chest – they aren't marked and it's completely random._

_10. Inside, you will find the final task you will have to do. They are all different and completely random._

_11. Once completed, find a way to survive when jumping off the Astronomy Tower._

_12. First team to have three of their members grounded wins._

Lily stuffed the piece of parchment into her jeans and made her way down to dinner. She didn't feel like eating, as she was slightly sickened at the prospect of the upcoming competition. Didn't she ever tell Rhia she was afraid of heights? Didn't she know the girls would lose because Lily would get a panic attack, hyperventilate, and eventually die of terror? How in the hell was she going to survive a fall like that?

Lily looked up from her uneaten plate of food to see Drake talking with a group of friends, laughing. Brent was on the opposite end of the table. _At least they're not friends_, Lily thought bitterly as her eyes wandered back to Drake. He looked up and met her gaze. He smiled at her shyly as his teeth bit a small portion of his bottom lip. Lily raised a hand and waved at him with a smile of her own creeping up on her face.

"What are you doing, Poppy?" Sirius asked as he sat down next to her while helping himself to the food on Lily's plate.

"Flirting," she replied simply as Drake turned back to his friend, "so go away before you cramp my style."

"With that seventh year? The one who is the biggest wallflower in the history of the world? That guy who no one knows his name but the kids who started talking to him one day when magical fairies attacked?"

"His name is Drake Townsend." Lily gave the best annoyed look she could muster. "He's sweet, kind, and nice. So what if he's a little shy? Those are the best kind of boys because you know they'll never cheat on you or anything."

"I'm just surprised he packed up the courage to ask you," Sirius mused. "Did he piss his pants while doing so?"

"Shut-up, Sirius! You don't have to make fun of everyone in sight!"

"Well, I make fun of people who are trying to steal my best mate's girl," he said with a smile.

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Lily glanced down at the opposite end of the table to see James, Remus, Peter, August, and Rhia sitting together laughing and joking. It sickened her to no end. She was out of the group, and that sucked major ass. Why couldn't Sirius bug them instead of her? It made no sense.

"You ever fall out of a tree when you were a kid?" Lily asked as Sirius looked at her oddly.

"Once, but then my mother slapped me for ripping my designer robes and associating myself to what she called Muggle trash."

"Well, forget about what your mother did to you." Lily felt slightly uncomfortable. "Do you remember what it felt like when you fell to the ground?"

"I broke my wrist clean in half. It hurt like hell."

"Okay, this is obviously not working." She sighed as her eyes turned back to Drake.

"No, tell me. I'm sorry if I'm not playing along right." Sirius gave her a lopsided smile. "I never played well with children since I was never allowed to. The ones I was allowed to play with were stuffy purebloods. Tell me the wonders of falling out of trees."

"Well, I had a best friend once. Her name was Anna Kennedy. We did everything together. One thing we always did was climb everything in sight from monkey bars to the wooden towers in the playground to trees. She lives right next door to me and there's this huge crabapple tree in the middle of our properties. One day when it was really cloudy, Anna and I decided to climb it and pretend we were flying an airplane. We took up this old wheel from her granddad's 1930's car. So we were playing when it started pouring and lightning. Anna got down without a problem, but I sort of froze. My sister, Petunia, told me a story a week or so ago about how you would die if lightning hit a tree and you were touching the tree. I was petrified to die. When I finally packed up the courage to start descending, the wood was all slippery and I couldn't keep my grip so I fell out of the tree. I landed right on my back, getting a concussion by the way. Anyways, I just felt utterly breathless lying there, and I couldn't move since I was so stunned by the whole thing. Anna was screaming and then I heard my mother screaming. I can remember feeling utterly sick to my stomach as Mr. Kennedy rushed me into my house." Lily paused and looked over at Sirius to see him looking at her with interest. "Those feelings, of being stunned, breathless, and completely sick to the stomach, those are the feelings I get when I look at James Potter. So please, just don't bug me about giving him a chance or dating him or whatever. I don't want to because he makes me feel utterly sick to my stomach."

"But there's an attraction to him? Stunned and breathless feelings surface?"

"He's not that bad of a guy, I'll grant you that. However, all of the good that is in him is quickly unbalanced by all of the hurtful things he does and says."

"Lily."

"Yes?"

"Hug a tree. They have less issues than people," Sirius said with a smile as Lily laughed.

The night came too quickly for Lily's liking. The two teams met in the dungeons not that far away from the Slytherin Common Room according to Sirius. Rhia seemed the most excited, seeing as there was a huge grin planted on her face. Lily wrapped her arms around herself as she waited for the clock to chime ten. That was the time everything was supposed to start since the prefects would be patrolling then, but all other students in their common rooms.

9:58. The clock on Sirius's wrist slowly inched towards ten. Lily just wanted to get it over with and stop worrying. Lily had a horrible feeling about being out that night. She wanted nothing more than to forfeit the whole thing and give it to the boys. She couldn't if she ever wanted Rhia to talk to her again. This sucked ass… major ass. 9:59.

"Get in position," Rhia commanded.

"What position is that?" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows.

Rhia only rolled her eyes. She then walked closer towards the potion supply room. That was a good position to be in, so Lily followed her. The ex-best friends stood next to each other. It was the closest they had been in awhile. Rhia turned towards her with soft eyes. Her cherry lips parted as though to say something. Lily held her breath.

"I forgive you," she whispered.

"You do?" Lily's voice cracked.

"How can I say I can't be friends with you after that letter?" Rhia smiled.

"We both said things we didn't mean –"

"No, we said exactly what we meant. Anger brings the truth out."

"We're still friends though?"

"Of course. We'll always be friends no matter what. We just… just trust me, Lily, and don't lie anymore."

"I won't." Lily just didn't say the words; she meant them.

"Good."

"Go!" Sirius shouted as he pushed the two girls aside to get to the storage closet first.

Lily laughed before dashing in after him, scrambling to get all of the ingredients that she needed while being pushed from side to side by her fellow teenagers. James and Sirius were the first ones out – since they had apparently planned ahead to work together. Those gits. August was out next and then Remus. Lily dashed out next with Rhia and Peter right behind her.

The group of seven teenagers ran down the hallway with their arms filled with potion ingredients to the nearest potion room. Lily sat down all the ingredients on the back table, grabbed a cauldron from the corner, and quickly started to put the potion together. She worked feverishly without looking at the directions that she had copied from a potion book earlier that day. With her lip between her teeth, Lily concentrated on the potion at hand. _Don't mess up. Don't mess up. Come on, Lily, don't you dare mess up._

Sirius and James shrunk their cauldrons and ran towards the door, laughing all the way. Lily added the dry ice to her cauldron, shrunk it, and raced after the boys. She could see them turn the corner to go up the dungeon steps. Lily held her breath as she dashed after them, hoping that she could catch up with them.

She didn't stop running as fast as she could until she got on the second floor. By then, her side was burning as her heart felt as though it would burst out of her chest. She had long lost sight of the boys who could run fast for long distances. _Stupid athletes_, Lily thought bitterly. She slowed down and walked, searching for a prefect to stun. She searched her mind to figure out who was out that night, seventh year Hufflepuffs and sixth year Slytherins. Joys beyond joys.

Footsteps. Lily froze as she carefully pulled out the wand from her back pants pocket. Pinning her body as close to the wall as she could, Lily tried not to breath as she waited for the footsteps to come closer. She saw a flash of yellow, threw a stunning spell, and started running in the other direction.

"Hey! Stop!" a male voice yelled as a stunning spell was shot back at her.

Lily dodged the spell easily as she made a tight left turn. She ran as fast as she could down the corridor and jumped onto the nearest staircase all the while hoping that it would take her to the fifth floor. However, by the time she got to the fourth floor, Lily felt as though she was going to die. Sliding down against the nearest wall, she heaved to catch her breath. She knew she should have forfeited the challenge. Why didn't she forfeit it?

"You'll get her," a familiar male voice said in the distance.

"She hates my guts," another male voice replied miserably.

"Well, at least she has some sort of feelings for you. Hate is better than indifference. Trust me, mate, I would know."

"So, what the bloody hell are we supposed to be doing now anyways?"

"Making a lovely ice rink in the Transfiguration hallway." A bark-like laugh erupted.

"Cromwell's crazy," the other voice continued. "Honestly, but I love her style."

"Prongs, now don't go gushing over Feisty when your mind should be on Poppet."

"Pads, Evans is so complicated to understand. She makes my head hurt."

"What girl doesn't?"

"Seriously, I don't understand why she loves you but hates me. Honestly, how can you hate one but love the other? We're exactly the same."

_No you're not_, Lily thought bitterly as she listened to them talk. James was pampered at home and therefore thought that anything he did was perfectly all right. He thought hexing and picking on people was absolutely fine because his parents didn't have any kind of discipline. Sirius, however, didn't come from a pampering home. He didn't get praised with everything he did. Even if he did do something worthy of praise, he would most likely only get slapped and told it wasn't good enough. Though, granted, Sirius loved to hex people as well, he had the bitterness stored up inside of him to do so. It wasn't a very good excuse for him to do so but better than Potter's excuse.

Lily stood up from her spot on the ground and turned to go the opposite way. She would find another staircase, one without the two troublemakers who saw fit to talk about her. She didn't know that boys gossiped. Wasn't that supposed to be a girl thing? Oh well, they were jerks.

By the time Lily reached the Transfiguration corridor, Sirius and James were already there. The hallway was iced halfway down. The boys tried to walk carefully upon the ice without falling. Smirking, Lily walked over towards the patch of frozen water. She tapped her cauldron to make it regular size once again. She poured the contents onto the ice and watched as it slithered all the way down the corridor, causing the two boys to fall flat on their butts.

"Evans!" James shouted.

Smirking, Lily pointed her wand at her shoes. With a flick of the wrist, blades sprouted out of the souls. She easily glided across the ice until Sirius reached out and grabbed her ankle, causing her to spill on the ice with the two boys. Lily shrieked as her elbow made contact with the ice as it slowly started turning a red color. She looked down at her arm to see the skin was ripped off the elbow with blood spilling out of it like no tomorrow.

"Lily, I'm sorry," Sirius commented as he saw what he had done. "Lemme heal it."

Lily jerked her arm away from Sirius, as her mind searched for an insult to throw at him. With her mouth open, words formed in her throat, Lily spotted the one person she did not want to see. Professor McGonagall, dressed in a long nightgown with a nightcap on her head and glasses askew, looked at the three teenagers in front of her in disbelief.

"Potter! Black! Evans!" she shouted as she walked towards them. "What in heavens name do you think you are doing?"

"My darling professor –"

"Black! I'm not in the mood for you."

"Run," James muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

James stood up slowly as though he was going to turn himself in. He walked towards McGonagall with a look of shame etched upon his face. Sirius stood up slowly, gripping Lily's good elbow with his hand. She rose up with the boy, too preoccupied at McGonagall to notice what was going on. Sure, she didn't like being a prefect and all, but what would Lily tell her parents if she were relieved of her position? What would they say when she got a month's worth of detentions? What would they say when she was expelled?

"Lily, come on," Sirius whispered.

"Professor, it's all my fault." James was taking the blame.

Sirius pointed his wand at his feet and blades sprouted out the bottom. He did the same to James, hoping that McGonagall wouldn't notice. Sirius shouted, "Now!" as he pulled her down the ice, skating as fast as they could with James just behind them. McGonagall shouted and ran towards them, only to spill on the ice herself with a loud cry. Once off the ice, Sirius waved his wand to put their shoes back to normal.

The three teenagers raced through the corridors to get to the seventh hallway as fast as possible. Lily looked back, saw her head of house on the floor, and wanted to cry. They were in deep trouble, deeper trouble than Lily ever found herself in before. She's done small things to land her in a detention or two but never something so massive as this.

Before Lily knew it – as her mind was contemplating the severity of their crime – Sirius pushed her the drapery of the crying woman. At the end of the small corridor, there was a door waiting for them. James went ahead to open the door, revealing the flags and shovels laid in a heap on the floor.

"How much trouble are we going to get into?" Lily croaked. "Am I still going to be a prefect? Is this expulsion material?"

"Err… a month's worth of detention at most," Sirius replied as he let go of her arm. "How badly are you hurt?"

"It stings," Lily said quickly. "I can't have a month's worth of detention! My parents would kill me!"

"Look, Evans, we can get you out of it," James commented.

"How?" she demanded.

"I'll talk to Frank, and we'll get it all sorted out. Now, take a shovel and a flag."

"I hate you all," Lily muttered as she grabbed the items.

"Hey, I got you out of there!" Sirius shouted. "If it wasn't for me, McGonagall would have your head on a platter!"

"If I was still there, I could have gotten my ass out of trouble, you bloody idiot!"

"Whatever," Sirius muttered as he stormed out of the room.

Lily and James stood in the room alone with an awkward silence filling the air. They stared at each other for several seconds. James then grabbed the flag, stuffed it in his pant pocket, and then walked out of the room after Sirius. Lily turned around and stared at the door. Sighing, she went out of the door to make her way to Binn's classroom. On her way down, Lily passed an abashed Rhia. The two girls stopped and stared at each other.

"Lily, are you okay?" Rhia was the first to speak when she noticed the dried blood splattered all over her arm.

"Sirius tripped me on the ice," she replied shortly. "McGonagall saw the whole thing."

"Does she know it was you two?"

"Three. Potter was there as well. She knew it was us. We sort of just ran away."

"Have a story?"

"Not yet."

"Good luck, Lils." Rhia smiled. "I'll see you at the Astronomy Tower."

Lily slowly started to walk forward as Rhia passed her. She was ready to find the stupid key, get her last task, and jump off the bloody tower. Maybe if she were lucky, she would die and not have to face what punishment from McGonagall she was facing. She could forget about the embarrassment she would face and not have to worry about getting hurt by Drake.

Lily, after what seemed like ages, found herself in the abandoned History of Magic classroom. True to what Rhia said, there was a sandbox tucked away in the corner of the room. The sand was everywhere as James and Sirius no doubt didn't care about making a mess in their hectic search for their keys. The two boys had already left and were on their way to the Astronomy Tower.

Taking the shovel, she started to push the sand around. Around a couple minutes, buried at the very bottom, was a shiny copper key. Just as she found it, Rhia came piling into the room completely out of breath with her cheeks flushed. She heaved in and out heavily as she slowly walked towards Lily.

"I nearly got caught by Dumbledore. All the professors are out searching for you and the boys apparently," Rhia announced.

"Goody." Lily sighed. "I'm a fugitive. See you when I die."

Smiling tightly, Lily made her way out of the classroom. She made her way cautiously to the tower, looking around corners for professors. She half expected them to jump out from behind statues screaming at the top of their lungs. Turning right, the coast was clear. Tip-toeing down the hallways, Lily strained her ears for any sort of movement. Another left, one of the Hufflepuff prefects walked passed her. Lily groped around for the nearest secret passage way as she slowly walked down the hallway with her back pressed hard against the wall.

_Aha!_

Lily pushed the portrait of the old man to the right. The man woke up and was about ready to say something when she slipped behind him and ran down the corridor behind him. The corridor would take her to the floor right below the Astronomy Tower. After what seemed like forever, Lily finally reached the end of the passageway. Exhausted and just wanting to sleep, she jogged her way to the tower where she saw James and Sirius already there fumbling with the chests.

Cocking her head to the side, Lily watched them searching. Once they found theirs, she would have two less chests to try. It was quite obvious to her. James was the first to find his. He stood up and unfolded the piece of paper. His eyes scanned the words and then he said aloud, "You can't be fucking serious."

Sirius looked up at him in confusion. James took out his wand and waved it. Suddenly, a huge pink bunny emitted from the wand and started to hop about. He reached for the bunny, tucked it under his arm, and then walked towards the ledge.

"See you!" Then, James Potter jumped off the Astronomy Tower.

In shock that he actually did it, Lily ran towards the ledge and looked over. He was falling towards the ground fast without any intention of slowing down. Then, out of nowhere, a carpet flew underneath him. He flipped over on the carpet to get a better hold of the material. Then flew his way down to the bottom. Vaguely, Lily thought that he looked rather like Aladdin – minus the monkey.

"Lily! Get your chest!" Rhia shouted. Wait, when did Rhia get there?

Turning, Lily ran towards the chests to start searching for the right one. Rhia was lucky and got her task with the second one she tried. Sirius was still having trouble – perhaps he just wasn't smart enough to fit a key in a hole. Lily pushed the key into the first chest to have no luck as Rhia casted a purple lizard out of her wand. She ran to the ledge and jumped off without hesitation.

Trying a second chest, Lily was unsuccessful while Sirius was finally victorious. Quickly, she tried a third chest and it opened amazingly. Standing up, Lily frantically opened the piece of paper as Sirius picked up a blue mouse from the floor and plopped it into his pocket. Lily ignored him and read the contents on the parchment: _Think of a green kitten and flick your wand twice at the tile on the floor that is raised slightly._ Doing so, a green kitten suddenly appeared.

"Yay!" Lily laughed as she bent down and collected the kitten, placing it into her pocket.

"Let's go." Sirius nodded towards the ledge.

"Why are you waiting?"

"Because I know you'll never do it if someone doesn't go with you."

"But you're helping me win." Lily reasoned.

"August, Remus, and Peter are still in the castle. I want it to be fair. It's against August and Remus since Peter is never going to jump off."

Lily walked towards the ledge as Sirius stepped up onto it. He reached his right hand back as his left hand clenched his wand. He gave her his best smile as though encouraging her. Suddenly, Lily felt sick to her stomach. Looking over the ledge, Lily could barely make out Rhia and James. They were small specks on the ground.

"Trust me," Sirius whispered as Lily took a step up on the ledge.

The doors to the Astronomy Tower burst opened to reveal Dumbledore and McGonagall, both looking frantically from one teenager to the other. Lily looked back at them as she heard McGonagall gasp and clench the headmaster's arm while shrieking, "Albus!"

"It's now or never," Sirius said. "This is the beginning of your life."

"I'm afraid," Lily whispered as the professors came closer to them.

"Lily. Sirius. Please, step away from the ledge," Dumbledore spoke calmly.

"You're a Gryffindor," Sirius shot back. "Pack up the courage and do this."

"What if I die?" Lily spoke softly.

"You'll only die if this is your time," Sirius responded. "This isn't your time to go. Dying now isn't written in your destiny."

"What if it is?"

"What would you do if your family was going to die and the only way you could save them would be by jumping off this tower? Would you do it? To save them?"

"Of course," Lily replied.

"Then prove it. Take my hand. Trust me. Cast an umbrella and then we jump."

"Black! Evans! Get down from there!" McGonagall demanded with fear evident in her voice.

Lily sucked in her breath, grabbed Sirius hand, raised her wand, casted an umbrella out of the end, and then jumped off the ledge. At first they flew down, but suddenly they started to fall slowly. Lily felt oddly like Mary Poppins as Sirius started to laugh his head off. She laughed with him, as her death grip on his hand loosened ever so slightly. Rhia and James became clearer and bigger as the ground came nearer.

And in that moment, Lily felt infinite. Everything that seemed to be bugging her disappeared into nothingness. The only thing she was remotely conscious about was that she felt peace for the first time in months. It would be that moment she would remember when things got too trying or frustrating. When the war would be at its peak and her son in grave danger, Lily will remember how one boy took her hand and opened her eyes to the beauty of not being afraid of anything. She will remember how she was once friends with Rhia Cromwell even through their rough spots. She will remember James Potter and how he looked at her when she landed on the ground. She would remember the concerned professors who would later punish for being out after hours and jumping off towers. However, the jump would be her escape whenever she needed it.

Author's Notes – Wow, this took forever to write. I didn't revise it at all, so there are probably more grammar mistakes than usual. Don't mind them, please. Don't forget to review since it's the nice thing to do. Review replies are at my Yahoo! Group – link's in my profile. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	23. Detention Desires

Chapter Title – Detention Desires

Chapter Summary - "Ah, but you see, dearest Poppet, Filch – who was supposed to be supervising us – never said we could leave. Therefore, we could get in trouble for not being at our detention."

_I honestly don't think McGonagall can take sarcasm very easily. Nor do I think that McGonagall takes jokes of suicide easily either. All I know is that McGonagall and Dumbledore caught us red-handed out after curfew, jumping off a tower, and being in possession of a pink bunny, a blue mouse, and a green kitten. I didn't get my prefect position taken away. However, I got a month worth of detentions with Black and Potter and fifty points off Gryffindor. Oh, and most likely a letter sent to my parents. Here's sort of how it unfolded…_

"Out after curfew! Attacking prefects! Making ice rinks! Attempting suicide! I would have expected this from Black and Potter, but you, Miss Evans?" McGonagall rambled. "You are a prefect! You are to set an example to the younger students and this example you are setting is inexcusable!"

"We weren't attempting suicide per say," Lily stated. "Black and Potter wanted to know how Mary Poppins could fly."

"Excuse me?"

"It's a Muggle thing." Lily smiled. "I was so happy that two purebloods took interest in the story that I -"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" McGonagall exasperated. "Albus!"

Lily's eyes snapped over to the headmaster who had been oddly quiet throughout everything. Dumbledore and McGonagall found the three students as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. They were immediately taken to the headmaster's office. Since then, McGonagall yelled in utter disbelief of what happened. Madam Pomfrey entered to heal Lily's elbow, which still ached from the fall. Now, the three sat across from the headmaster and watched their head of house pace around the room.

"Was it a prank?" he asked.

"No," Potter spoke up.

"Did you mean to be caught?"

"No."

"Was it an act of rebellion?"

"No."

Dumbledore folded his hands onto his desk and leaned forward. His eyes wandered from Sirius to Potter and finally to Lily who sat awkwardly next to Sirius. His eyes didn't leave her for some odd reason. She felt uncomfortable

"Miss Evans, what were you three doing out so late on the Astronomy Tower?"

Lily hesitated. Rhia, Remus, August, and Peter were all involved too, and she couldn't rat them out. An excuse. That's what she needed and fast. A fast, easy, simple, no-questions asked excuse.

"It was a dare," Lily decided on saying.

"A dare?" Dumbledore questioned as his eyebrows rose slightly.

"Yes, to go all Mary Poppins and fly with only an umbrella."

"Albus…" McGonagall warned as she looked at him with a sideways glance.

"Seeing as Professor McGonagall is your head of house, I think it is only fitting for her to punish you in any ways she sees fit. You will not be expelled nor will you lose your prefect badge, Miss Evans."

Lily left out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. A hand suddenly touched her arm. She looked over to see Sirius giving her a smile. She would have been murdered if she lost her position on the prefect board. Her parents would have grounded her for the rest of her life.

"A month worth of detention and fifty points off Gryffindor each," McGonagall announced.

"Each?" Sirius interrupted.

"Would you like to make it a hundred each? Off to bed! Now! I want no detours and no more trouble!"

Lily made sure her green kitten was secure in her arms before walking out of the headmaster's office with the two boys and their new pets behind her. They walked in silence until they approached the Fat Lady. James poked her to wake up and proceeded to mumble the password.

"Out so late! It's nearly one in the morning!"

Lily pushed her way through the boys and went into the common room. Rhia, August, Remus, and a sleeping Peter were situated around the fireplace. Rhia's head was resting on Remus's shoulder with her eyes drooping. August immediately jumped up from her spot next to Remus and ran over towards Lily, wrapping her in a hug.

"Month detention and 150 points off Gryffindor," Sirius announced as he plopped down next to Peter.

"Do you still have your prefect position?" asked Remus.

"Just barely," she replied as she sat down next to Remus. "Who won?"

"Tie," August spoke up. "Remus and I jumped off together."

"See, Poppet! Jumping off together wasn't a bad idea now! Was it?" Sirius smiled.

"At least I got Kermit after all of this." Lily indicated the small green kitten in her hands.

"Well, my mouse can keep Wormtail company," Sirius announced as he plopped the blue mouse into Peter's pocket.

"What the bloody hell am I going to do with a pink bunny?" James asked. "Feisty, what's with the multicolored animals?"

"Just something for fun," she replied sleepily.

"That and she ran out of ideas," August said with a smirk. "I have a red puppy."

"I want the dog!" Sirius whined.

Lily smiled to herself as she rested her head down onto Remus's free shoulder. Closing her eyes, she listened to Sirius fighting with August about wanting a dog, saying that it would fit his personality to the tee. Before Lily knew it, she was off in dreamland where she had perhaps one of the weirdest dreams in her life.

Drake Townsend and James Potter were in tights. They had huge hats on their heads with feathers sticking out of them. With swords in hand, they dueled each other while Lily watched from the sideline with Sirius and an array of rainbow colored animals.

The next day, Lily woke up with a stiff neck from sleeping onto Remus. All the Marauders and Mirages were lounged around the room. Lily quietly got up and tip toed towards Sirius. She knelt down and gently grabbed his wrist. Turning the wrist up right, Lily noted that it was only a little pass five in the morning.

Deciding it was fruitless to attempt to go back to bed, she changed silently into jeans and a t-shirt. Grabbing a sweater off her trunk, Lily slipped it over her head and started down towards breakfast fully knowing that she would most likely be the only person down there.

Once arriving, Lily noted that Drake Townsend was up and working on homework while eating. Professors Flitwick and Truax were chatting in low tones with a book laid out in front of them. Lily had a decision to make right then and there. Sit by herself or go over, accept Drake's invitation, and sit with him. Deciding that the latter didn't sound so horrendous, Lily walked over towards Drake and sat down next to him.

"Good morning," she greeted.

"'Morning!" He smiled. "I didn't know you got up this early."

"This is a record for me." Lily smiled back as she reached out and grabbed a small piece of a pumpkin pasty. Glancing sideways at Drake, she half expected him to say something. Instead, he ate a bagel and read his Arithmancy book.

"What's your number?" asked Lily to break the silence.

"Seven. You?"

"Oh, six," Lily replied as she tapped her nails onto the table. "I was thinking."

"About what?"

"The first weekend in March is a Hogsmeade weekend, and I vaguely remember you asking me to go with you. If you still want to go, I'd like to go with you if I'm even still allowed to go."

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to go?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the thing with Potter and Black."

"No, enlighten me."

"I sorta jumped off the Astronomy tower with them with only an umbrella."

"I never pictured you as a magical nanny type."

Lily laughed. Not knowing how to reply, she waited for him to say something else. Except that he didn't. They sat in comfortable silence for nearly an hour before more people started piling into the Great Hall. She turned to Drake and quietly told him she'd see him later. The last thing she wanted was for Sirius to see them together and start on his insults and disapprovals. Walking towards the Gryffindor table, she sat down next to Sirius.

"Have fun talking to the wallflower?" Sirius smirked. "Looked like neither of you were very open."

"Sod off, Sirius."

"Testy." Sirius smirked even wider. "I hear our detention is to clean the trophy case without magic and only a toothbrush."

"Joys beyond joys."

"It's going to take us more than a month to complete that."

"Bully for the trophies."

"Why are you in since a sour mood?"

"Because I have detention all night with you and Potter!"

"But that's a good two hours with your favorite men in the whole world."

The day passed slowly as the detention was drawing nearer. Something jolted in Lily's stomach at the thought of what lay before her. After dinner that night, McGonagall told her she was to clean the trophy room without magic from seven until nine. It would be that way once a week. She would share the detention with Black and Potter. In the past, whenever she did something worthy of detention, it was simply lines for about an hour. This was massive. This was horrid.

Five before seven, Lily made her way to the trophy corridor. She saw Filch standing there with three buckets of water and three dingy looking cloths. The caretaker looked up at her briefly before mumbling something under his breath that Lily couldn't quite catch. Her shoes squeaked on the floors as she made her way towards Filch.

"I'm here for my –"

"Where are the others?"

"Err… coming."

As though on key, the two boys came running down the hallways with Peeves following them screeching something awful. Covering her ears, she watched as Filch started to chase Peeves down the corridor. The boys laughed and gave each other high fives. Sirius was the first to go towards Lily with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Poppet! Look what Prongs and I pulled off. Convinced Peeves to distract Filch for us, and we don't have to do our detention. Just sit here until we hear footsteps. Brill, isn't it?"

Lily chose not to reply. She certainly wasn't going to be caught not doing her detention. She wanted it over with as fast as she could. Grabbing a cloth and a trophy, Lily started to wash and polish the thing. The nerve of the boys! They were caught and they couldn't even hold up their part of the detention!

"I noticed you stopped going to Patronus lessons," Potter commented as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

"It was fruitless for me to go," she replied as she picked up a trophy that belonged to James's father.

"I quit too," Sirius spoke up as he took a long drag of the cigarette.

"Why do you smoke those things?" Lily asked, forgetting about cleaning. "It's disgusting and makes you smell horrid. Plus, they're muggle inventions so why would pureblooded wizards want them?"

"Relieves stress." Sirius smirked.

"These are a wizards' brand anyways," James added

"Plus we like to look French."

"So stereotypical of you." Lily sighed. "So you drink and smoke. Let me guess, you have tattoos too? Anything that fits the teenage rebellion profile, you must be apart of."

"Actually," Potter smirked, "Sirius recently just got a tattoo last Christmas. I have failed to acquire one yet, but it does look promising."

"Lemme see it." Lily forgot all about her detention.

"No," Sirius replied as he sent an angry look at his best friend.

"Why?"

"It's on my arse."

"Liar," Potter muttered with a smile.

"You're a bloody git, Prongs!"

Lily walked casually towards Sirius and sat down beside him. She smiled at him and looked at his forearms. There were no tattoos. She leaned back to look at his neck but didn't see any there either. She slanted forward and looked at the small piece of chest exposed but there was nothing there as well. She turned to Potter and asked, "Where is it?"

"Shoulder. Right."

"Take off your shirt," Lily commanded.

"Take off yours first," Sirius replied bitterly.

"Why won't you show me? Is it something about me? Maybe a lily with heart petals? Or perhaps just a picture of my face?"

Sirius rolled his eyes before he started to unbutton his white dress shirt. Once half way down, he shrugged the fabric off his right shoulder to be bare. Lily leaned back to take a look. There were two animals there: a stag and a dog. The dog was laying with its head resting on the front legs as the stag laid next to it. Underneath it were words written in a fancy script: Brothers by heart Prongs and Padfoot.

Reaching a hand forward, she gently ran a finger along the stag and then the dog. Sirius and James were brothers in every sense of the word. They finished each other's sentences and knew what the other were thinking by just a simple glance. They told each other everything and spent the holidays together. They became Animagus together, attended detention together, and even started the same habits together.

"I like it," Lily whispered. "Why didn't you want to show me it?"

"Because it was personal."

"Too personal for me to see I guess."

Lily stood up, slightly hurt and not knowing why. So what if Sirius didn't want to show her some stupid tattoo? So what if she wasn't a close enough friend to show something like that to? She certainly didn't care about it. Let him be that way. She wasn't going to show that he hurt her, shocked her, made her feel just a little bit out of the loop, the group.

_You are out of the loop_, a small voice reminded her. _You're just Lily. You're not a Marauder. _Lily grabbed the nearest trophy and started to polish it with the dirty rag. So what if their friendship meant nothing to him? It's not like she depended on him for anything.

The detention passed awkwardly. Black and Potter smoked, joked, laughed, and of course were asses. Lily polished the trophies and refused to speak to either boy who tried countless amounts of times to draw her attention away from her pointless task. Filch didn't return nor did anyone check up on them. They could have been destroying the castle and no one cared.

The three walked back to Gryffindor Tower together. Lily smelled like lemon, soap, and evergreen cleaner which collided horribly with her flower perfume. Surprisingly enough, neither boy commented on it. Halfway back, Sirius and James stopped suddenly and whispered for Lily to join them. Reluctantly and against her better judgment, she walked back towards them.

"Wha-"

Sirius clapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her into the nearest room. Potter shut and cast a locking charm on the door. Utterly baffled and wanting answers, Lily bite Sirius's hand, causing him to jolt back with a slight gasp. He looked oddly at her but before he could say anything, Lily said, "What was that all about?"

"Prefects were coming," Potter replied.

"And you knew that how?"

"I smelled them," Sirius spoke up.

"You smelled them?" Lily looked at him dubiously.

"Let's just say that ever since I became an Animagus, my dog side has become more intense."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of in my life!"

"Then go out, get caught, and have more detentions!"

"We were going back after our detention, therefore they cannot punish us! Now this, they could punish us for because we aren't going directly back to our common room."

"Ah, but you see, dearest Poppet, Filch – who was supposed to be supervising us – never said we could leave. Therefore, we could get in trouble for not being at our detention."

"Then let's go back to the trophy cases!"

"No," the boys said together in a very eerie, creepy way.

Lily groaned. She looked around the room to see it was yet another abandoned classroom that no one ever used. Except, in this room, the furniture was covered in huge dusty clothes. Pulling one off, Lily saw it was some sort of antique - cabinet with carved drawers. Walking across the room, she pulled off another cloth to reveal a huge mirror. She looked into it and felt her blood boil.

"Get away, Potter!"

Potter was standing behind her in the mirror. His hand snaked around her and touched her not so flat stomach. Wait, that wasn't Lily! It looked like her but older and very obviously pregnant. She tore her eyes away from the mirror and looked down at herself. James's hand wasn't there and her stomach was flat. She looked up again to see her normal self with Potter standing behind her.

"I didn't do anything! I wasn't even by you when you yelled at me!"

"Get away," Lily whispered. "The mirror… it – it…"

James rolled his eyes and walked away towards Sirius. Lily looked at the mirror again to see something slightly different. She was still very much pregnant and James was still behind her, except there was a small girl with red hair in his arms and a slightly older boy with messy black hair sitting on the ground playing with something. James leaned forward and placed a kiss on his check. Lily reached up to touch her check and swore she felt a tingling sensation.

Turning around, with her hand still on her check, she sought out the two boys who were sitting on a very old table. She wanted to ask them about the mirror but not tell them what she saw. Was it a mirror showing nightmares?

_No, you know it wasn't_. _You were happy to see James with you and to have children with him_.

**I don't like Potter.**

_Why are you denying it? He's fun to be around. He's a joker. He's gorgeous. He's a great friend. He's generally a good guy. Just because he likes to pull some pranks on Slytherins doesn't mean anything._

**He's cruel, evil, and vile. He struts around like he owns the place. He thinks he's better than everyone else. I hate him.**

_Perhaps you say you hate him because you're ashamed to love him._

"Lily? Are you okay?" Sirius snapped her out of her mental battle with herself.

"Fine," she whispered so softly she wasn't even sure what she said.

"Obviously you're not. You're as white as a ghost."

She wasn't in love with James – no Potter. His name was Potter. She wasn't in love with Potter. She didn't secretly want to shag him and have baby Potters. She didn't. She swore she didn't. Then why did she see it in the mirror? Why did she suddenly doubt everything? Potter was a jerk. She didn't go for jerks. Paddock was a jerk. Damn. Why'd that voice always have to be right?

"Look in that mirror. Tell me what you see," she commanded Sirius.

He laughed softly before obeying. The smile on his face quickly disappeared once he looked into the mirror. His head snapped towards Lily with confusion written on his face. He slowly turned back. Lily watched as his Adam's apple jiggled from swallowing.

"What'd you see, Pads?" Potter asked with concern laced with his words.

"Something that will never be," he replied bitterly.

Sirius moodily walked away from the mirror and stormed out of the room. He slammed the door shut on his way out. Lily and James were left in the room. Neither knew what to say so nothing was said. Instead, James walked towards the mirror and looked at it. His brow furrowed slightly before a look of enlightenment crossed his face. He looked up at the phrase above the mirror which made no sense.

"It shows you what you must desire," James stated.

"It can't because what I saw isn't what I most wanted."

"Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, Evans, but apparently you don't know yourself as well as you thought."

"What'd you see?"

"Myself in Auror robes… with you by my side. You looked hot, Evans. I think this is a sign of finding this. Let's go out and make this a reality."

"You're a jerk."

"What'd you see?"

"None of your business!"

"I told you what I saw, I only think it's fair for you to tell me what you saw. I mean, come on, we are going to be married."

"Shut up! God! You disgust me!" Lily too stormed out of the room making a point to slam the door shut behind her.

Lily stormed down the hallway. The door opened and Potter yelled, "Go out with me, Evans! Just once!" Without turning around, Lily shot her right arm back and made a rude gesture while shouting, "Piss off!" She quickened her pace and honestly didn't care about anything at that moment. The audacity the boy had was outrageous. How arrogant, ignorant, and absolutely gor- absolutely idiotic the boy was. Gosh, she was not in love with Potter.

In the next couple of years, Lily would be best friends with denial. She would yell, deny, and attempt to deflate James Potter's ego at ever turn. Behind closed doors, however, she would be daydreaming about the boy and wishing that he would just get out of her mind. She would date other boys but in the back of her mind, they would always be compared to the tall, lean, messy-haired Quidditch player that all the girls seemed to swoon over.

Author's Notes – This chapter was horrible to write. I simply just couldn't get it right no matter how hard I tried. I know I usually have review replies up right away but right now, I'm having such a horrible night that I don't think I could possibly put any thought into them whatsoever. I will have them up on my group by the weekend. Sorry for the delay on posting and replies. I didn't reread it whatsoever, and I wrote the closing paragraph tonight, so I'm sorry if it's horrible because of my sour mood. Anyways, please leave a review. They will certainly cheer me up. I hope to have the next chapter a lot sooner where Lily's first date with Drake will take place.


	24. Drake and Lily

Chapter Summary – Sirius stared at Lily as though he never saw anything like her. He suddenly started to shift as though he were completely uncomfortable at where the conversation was going. Many times, he had girls swooning over him, gushing as they shouted that they loved him - the girls who were sluts and merely wanted to date the Quidditch player, the hottest boy in school. Lily doubted, on the other hand, that any girl had simply stated that they liked him for him and not because he was the popular, gorgeous jock.

Chapter Title – Drake and Lily

_Honestly, I don't understand what my mind is doing to me. First, I see wonky things in mirrors – I swear they're not true! – now I'm having dreams. Quite frankly, if this doesn't stop soon, I'm seriously going to murder myself. Just the image of kissing Potter makes me want to seriously vomit. I can't keep thinking about him in disgusting ways… I'm with Drake now. It wouldn't be fair to him or me. It's our first date today. I hope nothing goes wrong._

Lily walked into the bathroom to see Rhia sitting on the sink in only her undergarments with shaving cream everywhere. Lily crossed her arms over her chest and made her way slowly towards her friend, completely baffled at what was going on. Rhia looked up and brushed a piece of ebony hair behind her ear, coating it with shaving cream.

"What is going on?"

"August said that Muggles shave with some sort of cream…" Rhia trailed off.

Lily shook her head and walked over towards the sink. She never knew that purebloods didn't use shaving cream. How did they shave? A wave of their wand? Merlin, Lily would need to learn that spell. Think of all the time she spends shaving her legs when she could simply wave a wand!

"Rhia, you're supposed to put the shaving cream on the legs and rub it in. Then you take a razor and run it up your leg."

"Razor!" Rhia grabbed a blue razor that was sitting next to her. "It's August's razor. She said I could barrow it."

The next half hour Lily showed Rhia the mechanics of shaving one's legs. She had a hard time at first, as she pushed the blades too close to her skin causing many cuts to occur. The girl complained about how Muggles had the stupidest, most painful, most bloody way of getting rid of hair. Lily laughed, not being able to contain herself. It was nice to be able to joke with Rhia again. It was nice to forget that they weren't best friends, confidants, or whatever anymore. They could sit and laugh together, and that was the greatest thing.

Lily and Rhia made their way down to the entranceway together. Rhia complained the whole time of her legs burning and vowing to never so much as look at a muggle razor for as long as she lived. She was forced to put on a pair of jeans instead of the skirt she was planning to wear for Leo's sake. Lily, on the other hand, took the discarded skirt and put it on as the only skirts she owned were sitting in her closet at home. She tugged at the fabric feeling self-conscious of herself – the skirt was awfully short.

"You're taking away from the look," Rhia snapped. "Stop tugging on it."

"If I bend over," Lily started, "then you'll catch a nice view of my knickers."

"Then don't bend over or get nicer knickers," she hissed. "Leo!"

Rhia bounded away from Lily and quickly put her arms around her boyfriend's neck. Feeling slightly alone, Lily wrapped her arms around her stomach and scanned the room for Drake. Her emerald eyes wandered around the crowd looking for the boy but simply couldn't find him. Her gaze landed on James Potter who stood next to Remus and August. They were chatting while smiling and laughing. Potter really did have a lovely smile. His teeth were pearly white and his eyes sparkled. If only he wasn't such a git.

"Poppet, darling, I must confess my deepest apologies," a familiar voice said from behind her.

Lily didn't need to turn around to see who was there. She knew perfectly well it was Sirius, the boy who had suddenly stopped talking to her after their last detention. The whole debacle with the mirror made him moody and distant. The only person he would talk to was Potter but even then she heard them arguing about that stupid mirror. He wouldn't say what he saw. Stubborn bastard.

"For being a total jerk during and after detention?" she inquired innocently.

"No, not during the detention but for after the detention, yes."

Lily turned around to see Sirius standing there with a look on his face that made her heart break. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. His posture was oddly straight. His eyes were dark and a piercing stare was directed at her. The corner of his lips were in a thin line with the corners slightly turned down. His jaw was tight. Huge bags resided under his eyes and his hair laid messily on his head.

"I guess that's good enough."

"Good because that's all you're getting," Sirius replied with a tight smile.

"Sirius," she started, "I want to say something, but I don't want you to get mad."

"Say it."

"Promise you won't get mad? I mean, you do have a bloody awful temper."

"I promise on my rugged good looks."

"I don't know what you saw in that mirror, and if you don't want to tell me, I'm not going to push you. I do think, however, that you need to talk to someone about it because it's obviously affecting your everyday life. I know that you don't think of me as anything other than a girl you like to bug but in the past couple of months… I've uh… I've begun to think of you as a really good friend, sort of like a brother in a sense, and I don't like to see you hurting like this."

Sirius stared at Lily as though he never saw anything like her. He suddenly started to shift as though he were completely uncomfortable at where the conversation was going. Many times, he had girls swooning over him, gushing as they shouted that they loved him - the girls who were sluts and merely wanted to date the Quidditch player, the hottest boy in school. Lily doubted, on the other hand, that any girl had simply stated that they liked him for him and not because he was the popular, gorgeous jock.

"I don't just think of you as the girl I like to bug," he began slowly and awkwardly.

"Well, it just seemed so because you said your tattoo was too personal to show me. I sort of thought we were good friends at that point."

"It's not that I didn't think we were good friends, it's just… I didn't want anyone to know I got that. The only person who knew I had it was Prongs. Moony and Wormtail didn't even know."

"Oh," she replied dumbly.

"I got it right before you bailed Prongs and me out of jail actually. When we were out in muggle London. I got a tattoo, we had a few drinks, and then egging my house sort of came into the plan after having a few beers in me."

"It's a very nice tattoo," she said earnestly. "I really like it."

"I do too." He smiled softly. "Too bad I can't see it."

"Sirius…"

"Poppet…"

"I'm here if you want to talk. All right?"

"Wallflower is coming your way," he said as he nodded his head behind her. "Have a good time in the village."

Sirius walked passed to make his way to Potter and the others. She turned around quickly and watched as him and Drake nodded at each other in greeting. Lily shouted, "Sirius!" He turned around and gave her a thumbs-up before making the last several steps to Potter. Drake was at her side and greeted her with a bright smile.

"Shall we?" he asked as he offered her his arm.

"Yes, I think that we shall," Lily responded as the two walked towards the dwindling line of students.

The two stood in line together and chatted about small things such as the next Quidditch match and how Gryffindor was favored to win. They talked about classes and the tests they were made to take at the end of the year. Drake seemed overly worried about the N.E.W.T.'s while Lily was indifferent about the O.W.L.'s. Quite honestly, she had forgotten all about the O.W.L.'s because of everything that happened in the past year. She even forgot about the career meeting she was to have with McGonagall in the upcoming weeks.

"Names," Filch commanded once they were at the front of the line.

"Mr. Filch," Lily said, "I'm slightly disappointed that you don't remember my name."

"Names," he repeated.

"Are you absolutely positive you don't remember me?"

"Names."

"Evans comma Lillian and Townsend comma Drake."

Filch waved them by, obviously irritated to no end. Smiling, Lily reached out and grasped Drake's hand into hers and they skipped off into the sunset. Actually, they walked slowly out to a carriage, got in, and talked away once more. Sirius was wrong; Drake wasn't that big of a wallflower. Get him alone and he's quite chatty. So what if he wasn't big at social gatherings?

The carriage came to a stop. Drake got out first and, like the gentleman he was, extended a hand to her to help her out of the carriage. She smiled as she took it. As soon as she hopped out of the carriage, it started back towards the castle. Drake started to pull his hand away, but Lily clenched it tighter and gave him a reassuring smile. The two started down the short path to the village.

"Why'd we take the carriages? Didn't we walk last time?" Lily questioned in confusion as the thought suddenly dawned on her.

"Well, perhaps they wanted to try something new?" he suggested.

"Perhaps."

"You ever notice that the carriages don't have horses or anything?" Drake asked.

"Yeah, aren't they just enchanted or something?"

"No," he said slowly, "we learned about this in Care of Magical Creatures."

"We haven't learned about it so enlighten me."

"Apparently, you can only see them if you watch someone die."

"How horrid." Lily scrunched up her nose in disgust. "How sick."

Drake merely nodded. His hand tightened around hers. Looking down at her, a small, relieved smile crossed his face. Lily looked at him oddly as she chuckled softly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious again.

"What?" she questioned.

"I can't believe you agreed to go out with me."

"Why wouldn't I go out with you?"

"Because I'm not Sirius Black," he said quietly. "You're always with him so I thought-"

"You thought wrong," she interrupted. "Sirius is like a brother to me."

A wave of déjà vu flooded her as she called Sirius her brother. Her mind immediately floated towards him. Was he better now after their little talk? Would he come to her later and tell her what had upset him so much? If Potter was right about the mirror, wouldn't he have been happy to see what he most desired and not get overly moody? Then again, she doubted that was the case because of what she saw. She didn't like Potter and never would. Simple as that.

"That's good, I guess."

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Lily trailed off suddenly distant.

"Um… you want to get a drink or something?"

"Sounds good."

The two walked hand in hand to the Three Broomsticks for a drink. Lily took off to find a booth in the crowded place while Drake went to retrieve the drinks. The room was packed with students and professors alike. Scanning quickly over the heads to the bar, Lily was slightly disappointed that she didn't see Sirius or Potter chatting with Madam Rosemerta. Before long, a drink was placed in front of her, snapping her out of her reverie.

"So, you graduate this year?" she started with small conversation.

"Yeah, I'm um… I'm going to miss coming back here next year."

"Any idea what you want to do?"

"Healer perhaps. Flitwick is helping me get an internship there in the summer so hopefully I'll be picked up for training."

"I've thought of being a healer… but it doesn't seem right anymore."

"What do you want to do then?"

She shook her head. She was just a fifteen year old who realized that she had no direction in life. What could she do? Everything that she had ever considered being seemed to bore her to death now. She had only a little over two years to decide and that seemed all too soon. What would she even tell McGonagall in a couple weeks time?

"I like this," Drake whispered as he reached over the table to grab her hand. "It feels right, you know?"

"Drake…" Lily trailed off with a small smile on her face.

The thought of him feeling right with her scared Lily immensely. What if he wasn't the guy for her? Who's to say that she had to choose the right one at that moment? She was allowed to date and search. But what if he _was_ the guy? What if he slipped through her fingers because she was scared?

"Too soon, huh? Mark told me not to make a fool out of myself on the first date."

"Oh, Drake, no. You didn't make a fool out of yourself," Lily said with a smile. "I just… I'm really happy we came together today."

"Really?"

"Of course! Seriously, I'm having a marvelous time." Lily placed her free hand on top of Drake's. "Tell me more about you."

"Well, my sister, Anastasia is twenty-two and getting married over the summer. She adores the fact that I'm a wizard, and I secretly hope that she doesn't. Once I became legal last summer, I got nonstop telephone calls from her asking me to do things for her. Quite annoying after awhile."

Lily frowned slightly. Why couldn't Petunia so easily accept her for what she was? Why couldn't she bug her to do small things for her using magic? Granted she couldn't legally do them, but it would have been nice to have her support like she had the support of her parents.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked frantically.

"No, it's just that my sister hates the fact that I'm a witch. She hates _me_ for being a witch."

"Forget her, Lily, she's just jealous."

"Perhaps." She cleared her throat. "So, do I get to meet your sister or anyone over the summer?"

"Is our first date really going that well?"

"I think so."

"Why don't you come to Ana's wedding? I'm an usher, but we could still dance and stuff."

"Only if you come to meet my parents first."

"I can deal with that."

"My mum thinks that I'm going to be a nun so don't shock her too much."

"Does she really?"

"No, she's just paranoid that I'm going to marry some horrible guy and is overcautious about me since I'm the baby." Lily bent the tip of her straw down. "She thinks Petunia can take care of herself… especially having a wrestler for a boyfriend. You're pretty scrawny though. You might have to prove you can protect her baby girl from danger."

"It's a challenge I'll gladly take."

Lily smiled. Her date with Drake was nothing like her dates with Brent. He was genuine and wasn't the type to turn all crazy and start hexing her. He was her mother's ideal boyfriend: a shy boy who wouldn't dare of cheating, a smart boy who knew what he was going to do in his life, a boy who would throw himself in front of a bus just to protect the ones he loved. He wasn't _her_ ideal boy though. Granted, he was smart, handsome, and had all the qualities she needed, the back of her mind wandered to James Potter unconsciously, silently comparing Drake to him in her head.

A boy like Potter was anything but boring. Nothing could be expected except from knowing you wouldn't have a dull moment with the boy. He was arrogant and craved attention. He was a determined bugger who wouldn't take no for an answer. He had set values and was too stubborn to even consider the opposing side of things. He wasn't reliable and showed no respect to his elders. He treated people as tools and played nasty tricks on them. How could she like a boy like that?

There was another side of the boy that he barely let be seen, a side that Lily had only seen on a handful of occasions. Behind his indifferent behavior was a boy who cared deeply about his friends. His relationship with Sirius was a brotherhood. His friendship with Remus never seemed to waver. He was as loyal as a dog to his best friends. Not to mention bluntly honest when white lies would be better told. What you saw was what you got with Potter.

"You okay, Lily?" Drake snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, why?"

"I was beginning to think you were going to murder that straw." He smiled softly and hoped that his attempt amused her.

"I'm a serial straw killer. I murder them, but they just can't seem to find the bodies," Lily commented as she folded her hands in her lap.

"I love that you can do that."

"Do what?"

"Put a smile on my face so easily."

"It's a talent that took years to develop."

"Somehow I doubt that's true," he said thoughtfully with a smile planted on his face. "I think it just comes naturally."

"You do wonders for my ego. I swear I'll be the biggest, egotistical prat in all of England soon."

"You're too humble to be a prat."

"Are you saying that I couldn't pull off being a prat?" Lily challenged playfully. "I like to think after watching James Potter pull it off so nicely the past five years that I could pull it off like a pro."

"Someone as cute as you couldn't be a prat even if they tried."

"There you go again, Drake Townsend, stroking my ego."

"Perhaps I just really enjoy telling you how much I adore you."

"There's not that much to adore."

"Oh, there is. Trust me."

"Stalker," Lily hissed softly with a smile.

The rest of their date went smoothly as the two bickered playfully back and forth while learning more about each other. Once back at Hogwarts, Lily gave him a smile and a small wave of the hand before walking towards Gryffindor Tower. She thought briefly about kissing him but decided against it. Her and Brent kissed too soon and look what happened. Perhaps taking it slow with Drake would turn out to be a good thing, even though they were already making summer plans. However, those plans could turn into friend plans if need be.

Lily entered Gryffindor Tower and noticed Sirius and Potter chatting next to the fireplace with an assortment of sweets around them. Remus sat in the nearest chair with several chocolate bars in his lap. Peter was lying on the floor behind his friends sleeping with chocolate smeared across his face. They were the oddest of friends.

Looking around and not seeing Rhia or August, Lily walked over and sat down next to Sirius with her back resting on the chair Remus was sitting in. She reached out, picked up a small piece of chocolate, and popped it into her mouth.

"What makes you think you can just steal our chocolate like that?" Sirius inquired. "Did you know that Moony is a chocoholic who has been in and out of rehab for years because of his addiction? We finally accepted that his chocolate addiction was normal and have allowed him to eat all the chocolate he wants because chocolate only makes people fat. Thus, Moony needs to get fat so we allow it. Now you are eating his addiction and only source of weight gain he has!"

"Sorry, Remy."

"No problem, Lily, but please don't let it happen again. Sirius is very adamant on me gaining some weight," Remus replied.

"I'm adamant about you gaining weight because you're basically a walking skeleton."

"It's not my fault that any time I gain some weight I lose it… during that time of the month."

"I swear your fury little problem is going to kill you soon," Potter interrupted

"There is a life expectancy," Remus replied thoughtfully. "I've already beat the odds at surviving at a young age. Did you know that those ten years old and younger and surviving past two years is only 15? I'm one of that 15."

"I'm glad of it, Moony, because what would we do without the person who makes us feel damn guilty about things we know are wrong?"

"What would we do if there wasn't someone to eat all of our chocolate?" Sirius added. "I would rather miss hiding all my chocolate from you."

"It's a game to Sirius in a sense," Potter told Lily. "We get these chocolate truffles from my mum every month, and Sirius finds a new hiding place each month so Remus won't find them and eat them all."

"I wouldn't eat Sirius's box," Remus commented. "Your mum gives me my own box."

"I highly doubt that," Sirius retorted. "Second year in January, you ate half of my truffles when you saw them!"

"Are you still holding that against me? I thought they were mine! They were on my bed after all."

"I thought it was my bed. I was disoriented."

"Your fault then. I gave you what was last of my box."

"Yeah, two and a half truffles. That's so fulfilling."

"Pads, remember you wrote my mum and told her what happened?" James asked. "She sent you two boxes in February so get over it already."

"They were still mine. It's sad to say that I can't trust Moony as completely as I trust you and Wormtail."

"All over a box of chocolate," Remus muttered bitterly. "What happened to being compassionate about my addiction?"

"I'm all for your addiction and harboring it… with your own chocolate. Steal from Prongs or Wormtail, just not me. I'm a skinny boy too."

"James is skinner than you, Sirius."

"Yeah, I kind of am," James said with a smile, "you have that small potbelly growing."

"I do not! I am ripped!"

"I can imagine you in twenty years being a fat bugger because you only eat chocolate truffle after chocolate truffle with no source of exercise."

"I'm not that lazy."

"I beg to differ," Remus responded. "Remember how you were too lazy to go to class so you told Madam Pomfrey you were sick so you could sleep all day?"

"Or that time when he was too lazy to walk back to the tower so he went to bed in the library?" James joined in.

"Remember when he wanted a roll at dinner but didn't want to reach over, even though it was clearly in reaching distance, so he had Peter get up out of his seat and get one."

"Remember last summer at my house he wanted another pillow but was too lazy to get up and get one at the other end of the room so he called my house elf to get him one?"

"Oh, that's like how we were in your kitchen over break, and he didn't want to make the hot chocolate so he had the house elf make it?"

"Poppet, make them stop," Sirius whined as he turned to Lily, "and tell them I'm not going to be a fat, lazy bugger."

"All right, stop picking on poor Sirius. And of course you won't be a fat, lazy bugger," Lily replied with a smile. "You'll just be… a lazy, well-insulated man."

Potter laughed as his gorgeous smiled its way onto his face again. His eyes danced as he looked at Lily. She stared back at him and felt her smile grow wider. She wasn't really aware of the look that passed between Remus and Sirius. A look that said they knew what was really going on.

"Okay, you two crazy kids," Sirius said as he lightly hit Lily on the arm. "Thank-you, Poppet, for encouraging 'Pick-on-Sirius-day'. For that, I will make you cry with the next competition."

"What kind of boy are you making a girl cry?"

"You know I only torture you because I love you, right?"

Lily rolled her eyes with the smile still playing on her face. It was days like these that Lily would remember when the worst was coming. Sitting together and bickering with Sirius, James, and Remus would be her escape when everything seemed to be crashing down on her. When she was too scared to do anything, she would close her eyes and remember her friends, the ones who made her laugh no matter what over the stupidest things. Whenever she was lonely, she would see James's face smiling at her. Whenever she sad, she would picture Sirius for a laugh. Whenever she was uncertain of what was right and wrong, she would picture Remus for guidance.

Author's Notes - So terribly sorry for the long wait. I feel horrible about it but here is the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and will continue to read. Please don't forget to leave a review and keep me motivated on posting in a reasonable amount of time. I promise I won't take as long next time.


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